Trust
by Ca Staub
Summary: What if Mozzie didn't tell Neal about the treasure? And if he had other reason to steal it? What would be that reason?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic. The story is in my mind for long time and I finally created courage to post. But I never would have done it without the help of my new friend Shelby (****Bonkers4Reid**) that revised the grammar so that everyone could understand. Thank you again.

**Making clear that story has begun in the day the U-boat ****exploded** and Neal doesn't know that the treasure didn't burn.

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Trust. What is the basic effect of this word? What does it mean? According to the dictionary, it means to have firm hope in someone, hope for the future. Trust is something that Peter would never have in him. Neal felt bad every time he thought of Peter's distrust after the U-boat explosion.

Peter not only distrusted Neal, he even created a pretext to do so. First he thought Peter was accusing him of seeking revenge upon Adler with the explosion. But Peter could never accuse him of burning precious pieces of art. Peter knew he would never do that. But he soon realized that Peter was accusing him of stealing the paintings, a priceless treasure.

Those paintings certainly were worth more money than one person could ever possibly spend in a lifetime. But what made no sense was Peter's accusation. How could Neal have stolen the treasure when he had just watched it all become consumed by the fire?

Peter just couldn't accept what he'd witnessed. He went so far as to accuse Neal even though he didn't actually have any evidence that Neal had stolen the treasure. Peter had not given him any credit, absolutely no confidence vote.

Trust. Trust is something that only friends have with each other. Peter and Neal weren't friends and never could be, because trust is one thing missing in this scenario.

Anger corrupted Neal's senses. The pain in his stomach was growing stronger, but he hardly felt it because the adrenaline caused by his own relentless fury at Peter's distrust overwhelmed his body. He would take advantage of it and use this energy to get home. Home: where he could lie in bed, take something to calm his stomach, and sleep to forget everything that had taken place this terrible week.

The only thing good was Sara. She had forgiven Neal's kiss with Alex when he had said that what was between them was over. His world was collapsing around him and he felt like he had nothing to lean on, to act as his anchor.

But that wasn't true. If Peter didn't want to believe him, he still had Mozzie, and now, Sara. Mozzie was the one who would never disappoint him. He was also the only one who knew the terrible secret with which Neal was struggling. He would tell Peter when it all ended, but now there was no reason for it.

For Sara it was another story. He didn't want to impose anything on her. How could he throw something so heavy on the shoulders of his girlfriend, especially so early into their relationship? Mozzie was the only one who knew. And the only one who would know.

Neal came home desperately wanting to lie down, but he quickly realized that not only his body but also his suit smelled of smoke. He definitely needed a bath before he could turn in.

He nimbly took off his clothes and turned on the shower. The hot water beat down on Neal's skin. It was a welcome relief for some of the pain in his belly. Now as his anger was beginning to fade, Neal knew that he had to stop thinking about what had happened, because he more he thought about it, the more his stomach would hurt.

The time he spent in the shower was very relaxing. When Neal had used all the hot water he got out and dried himself with his towel. He then went to the closet to get clean underwear and pajamas. He dressed and went to bed forgetting to take any pain medication.

After what seemed like only a few minutes he heard a knock and slowly got up and went toward the door. Neal opened it just enough to see who it was. He leaned against the wall beside the door with his right arm and in the left he held the doorknob. It was Peter.

"What do you want, Peter?" Neal said wearily. "If you came to apologize couldn't it wait until tomorrow?"

"Don't be cute Neal." Peter said looking over him from top to bottom. He then looked directly into his face. "Go get dressed Neal, you're coming with me."

"Where are we going?" Neal asked curiously.

"You'll see when we arrive." Peter said without giving any further explanation. He went back downstairs to wait for Neal in the car.

Neal did as Peter asked. He took a clean suit out of the closet and found a tie to match. He hoped Peter had forgotten his suspicions and had come up with a way to redeem himself. He went to the bathroom and brushed his hair wet.

Neal looked at the clock and saw that it was midnight. What Peter could want with him at this hour? He went downstairs and opened the door and saw Peter's Taurus parked out front. Edging closer to the car he saw that Peter wasn't alone. Jones was with him, sitting in the front seat. Neal had no choice but to sit in the back seat.

Peter drove for about twenty minutes and eventually stopped outside a kind of warehouse.

"Get out of the car." Peter instructed and Neal obeyed.

They entered the small building. It was dark and there was only one table with two chairs illuminated by a small lamp in the center of the room. On the table there was a strange machine, like... a polygraph.

"Peter..." Neal started but was cut off.

"Take off your jacket and roll up your sleeves." Peter ordered.

"Peter..." Neal tried again.

"Don't 'Peter' me. Do what I say."

Neal had become very angry. Heck, why had he thought that Peter had forgotten about this crazy idea? Peter was not going to apologize. This was the man who had saved him that very day. Peter had shot and killed Adler to prevent him from shooting Neal, and here he was in front of him now suspicious enough of Neal to put him up against a lie detector.

"What are you doing?" Neal asked, striving to keep his tone calm.

"You said to prove it." Peter responded. Neal remembered his words perfectly when Peter accused him of stealing the treasure. His anger was such that he said 'then prove it', but he never imagined that the agent would take it this seriously. Neal didn't know anything, so he didn't have anything to be afraid of, but he was hurt by the fact that Peter was treating him like a criminal suspect.

The questions began shortly after Jones connected all the wires in his arms. They were usually easy to answer, along the lines of "What is your eye color?", "What was stored in the warehouse?", and "What happened?" But then Peter looked straight into his eyes and asked if he had stolen the treasure. Neal said no and gave the same response when Peter asked, 'Who stole it?' As if he was sure it had been stolen.

The polygraph confirmed that Neal was telling the truth, but if Peter had ever believed in him, he would not need a polygraph to tell him. If one day he finally trusted in Neal, he would be able to look in Neal's eyes and see that he is telling the truth. If Peter ever trusted Neal, he would know that Neal never lied to him.

"It's two o'clock the morning Peter," said Neal, tired, "Will you keep me here all night?"

"Until I'm satisfied." Peter replied.

Neal's stomach pain had increased considerably as Neal's anger grew. His stomach was so sore that he had to concentrate not to vomit. Neal decided it best to just answer Peter's questions. The sooner this was over, the sooner he would finally be able to go home

The questions continued, but Neal just paid enough attention to respond and then forgot them completely due to his pain and his concentration on breathing.

Peter did not notice the discomfort of his CI, or if he did notice he decided it wasn't important. The questions continued until four thirty in the morning. Then Peter took Neal back to June's house without saying anything on the way. When Neal arrived at his apartment he collapsed on the bed without even changing his clothes or setting the alarm clock.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it's the next chapter.**

**Thanks for the reviews, make me very happy. And Thanks again to my Beta Bonkers4Reid.**

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Neal was very tired. He was oblivious to anything happening around him. At least in his sleep he forgot the pain, not only the physical but also the pain of distrust.

_Neal!..._ Neal heard someone call. He knew this person, but he was too tired to remember or to respond.

_Neal?..._ _Neal wake up, please._ The owner of the voice seemed somewhat desperate. Neal wanted to answer. The man looked like he might cry if he wasn't already crying. He tried to open his eyes; they were so heavy that it was a difficult task, but Neal finally succeeded. He looked around and found himself facing a very worried Mozzie.

"Mozzie?" Neal asked, confused.

"Neal! Thank you, God. You scared the hell out of me!" Mozzie said catching his breath. "I've been calling your name for five minutes and you did not move once. I thought..." Mozzie was unable to finish the sentence. He refused to let the thought pass through his mind.

"Don't worry, Mozzie, I just went to bed very late." Neal tried to calm him down. "What time is it anyway, Moz?"

"Eight-fifteen." Neal looked at his phone to confirm it. As if Peter wasn't already unbearable enough, he didn't need to give him more to complain about for being late. "But tell me, where were you last night?"

"The only thing I can assure you, Mozzie, is that you were right." Neal tried to say casually as possible.

"Okay, but what are you talking about?" Mozzie asked, confused.

"Con men and feds aren't friends." Neal said as he removed his wrinkled suit.

"I'm sure you're saying this with boiling blood, Neal. What did the Suit do this time? "Mozzie asked before sitting down on the couch.

"He thinks I've stolen the Nazi treasure." Neal said simply.

"What?" Mozzie exclaimed, rising rapidly.

"Before you ask, I did not steal it." Neal clarified.

"I wouldn't." Mozzie tried to hide the expression of fear and replaced it with one of disbelief. "But everyone is saying that the treasure exploded."

"You heard it right. I was there and I saw it blow up, and Peter did too. That is why Peter's charge has no ground. He believes that not only did the art not burn, but that I stole it and lied to him." Neal stopped to think if he had time for a shower, but decided against it as he didn't want to be late.

"I'm sure you misunderstood." Mozzie attempted to alleviate.

"I didn't misunderstand when he left me until four-thirty the morning locked in a warehouse, forcing me to take a polygraph test!" Neal said before leaving Mozzie to change his pants.

"And what did you do?" Mozzie asked, scared.

"Mozzie! I was telling the truth when I said I did not steal the treasure." Neal retorted.

"Oh yes, yes I know." Sure Mozzie knew his friend was telling the truth.

"Yeah, and apparently Peter still doesn't believe me!"

"But, hypothetically speaking, what would lead him to that conclusion?"

"I have no idea." Neal replied.

"Could it be that something survived the fire?"

"I don't know, maybe, but it would not be whole works. It was a huge explosion, Mozzie! There was a lot of fire for something to be left."

"But if a big enough charred remnant of a piece still exists, Peter could use the FBI to run tests on it to see if his accusations are true or false."

"Unless he is so 'sure' that it is false and I was the one who faked it, he won't want to formally blame me, or rather, harm his reputation. I don't think Peter has put the Bureau in the story yet."

"And if he hasn't, then the only way to show that the painting was a fake..." Mozzie started.

"Elizabeth!" They both said simultaneously.

"Yeah, she has an art background. She could ask for favors, but that would be all too crazy." Neal said without much interest.

"Sure." Mozzie agreed simply.

Neal was ready. His suit was very dapper, the tie neat, and his hair neatly combed. He went to the sink and grabbed a glass of water and headed toward his nightstand.

"Are you not going to have any breakfast?" Mozzie asked, concerned.

"I can't. I hope this will stay in my stomach." Neal said as he swallowed a pill with water.

"Neal, you really should eat something. That won't do you any good." The worried Mozzie warned.

"Moz, I promise, if I feel like I can, I will go get something to eat later." Neal said, grabbing his hat and heading toward the door.

"I'm going to borrow June's car and take you." Mozzie said to Neal before leaving out the door.

"No Mozzie, I can catch a cab." Neal said almost immediately.

"No, I'll take you. You are not able to walk alone in the street. Just look in the mirror. I'm sure June won't mind."

"You'll go to the FBI building?" Neal smirked.

"Oh Neal, don't be so optimistic! Dropping you off one block before is good enough for you. "

They laughed and went to meet June in the living room. Neal refused coffee again. He said goodbye to June as usual and when Mozzie asked if he could borrow her car she just smiled and handed him the key.

Neal had to admit that Peter had given him a chance to meet spectacular people in his life and he would never forget it. Thinking like that he put his hat back on his head and went with Mozzie into the streets of New York.

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**Please, review. I'm kinda addicted to it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here we go again.**

**Like always, remembering Bonkers4Reid who always help me so much doing her great job.**

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Neal was still tired. It was just 6:00 pm and he was exhausted. Peter had only spoken with Neal about the new case. Neal tried being as relaxed as possible, he put a smile on his face and decided that he wasn't going to demonstrate to Peter just how much last night's ordeal had hurt him.

Neal quickly realized that working with Peter when he's suspicious of you is no fun. He watched Neal's every step and laughed at his mistakes. Neal had to be honest, Peter would laugh even on normal days, but today he took a piece of Neal's tie after the fencing match and kept it as souvenir to remember Neal's imperfect moment.

Neal went to take a shower when he got home. After he got dressed, he went to his couch to lie down. Unfortunately, it seemed like the whole world had a plot against Neal sleeping because less than two minutes after he'd closed his eyes he heard some noise at the door. It was Mozzie.

"What are you doing here?" Neal asked with tired voice.

"Hello to you too!" Mozzie said without acknowledging Neal's question. He walked straight to the cupboard and took two glasses and a bottle of wine. "You can drink?" Mozzie half-way asked. He didn't know if Neal had taken some other medicine.

"Yes." Neal said simply.

"So, how was the Suit today?" Mozzie inquired while he filled the glasses.

"He only talked about work. We have a new case… David Lawrence. He stole 60 million dollars from the Federal Reserve and he needs Gary Rydell's help to move it.

"You mean _your_ help." Mozzie corrected him.

"Yeah, just details." Neal replied with a smile.

"Well, did you speak with the Suit?" Mozzie asked.

"You're changing the subject." Neal accused taking a sip of wine.

"Come on, Neal, answer me!"

"No, I didn't tell him about, well, you know… and I never will!"

"Neal…" Mozzie started.

"No, Mozzie" Neal repeated. "And you know what? I was thinking, how much money do we have reserved?"

"It's not much" Mozzie answered, "Why?"

"I want to go away. Actually I feel like I need to go away." Neal replied, thoughtful.

"I thought you were happy here." Mozzie really thought that.

"After everything… everything that happened that week," Neal swallowed before continuing, "I think it is the best for everyone."

"And Sara?" Mozzie wanted to know. "What are you gonna do about her?"

"Sara was the best thing about that week, but I think is the best for her too if I just go away."

"You know I'd be the first one give to you support if I thought you said that with your heart, don't you?" Mozzie started, "But I think you're going to change your mind."

"I won't, Moz." Neal took a deep breath. "I made a decision."

"So, luckily for you I always have an escape plan up my sleeve. This time it involves an airplane, but before that I have to tell you something, Neal." Since Neal said nothing he decided to continue. "I stole the treasure… So really we can go whatever we want!"

Mozzie waited expectantly for Neal's reaction, but he was only met with silence. Mozzie turned around to look at his friend and found that Neal's head was leaning against the couch and he was asleep, breathing deeply. The mostly-full wine glass dangled dangerously in his hand.

Mozzie smiled at the scene. He gently seized the glass from the sleeping man's hand and set it on the table. He then shifted Neal's body on the couch and covered him with a blanket.

"It's probably for the best if I hold off on telling you this until we are far away from here. Now rest, my friend, that will be good for you." Mozzie muttered before leaving the apartment.

He needed to formulate a plan so the Suit doesn't find out that treasure hadn't actually burned. Why did Peter doubt the explosion? Mozzie still wasn't sure himself what exactly had made Peter so suspicious.

Tomorrow he planned to follow Elizabeth and see if that would lead them anywhere. Actually it was good that Neal hadn't heard him. Mozzie would do anything for Neal. Therefore, he needed to figure out a way for Peter to forget about all this, even if that meant he had to be Mrs. Suit's shadow.

But at that moment Mozzie wasn't ready to go home so he decided to talk to June. Her granddaughter, Cindy, was with her. Mozzie thought about it, he couldn't deny that June's house was almost his home. He spent more time with Neal than at any of his own places. He couldn't imagine a life without Neal. He had known Neal for almost ten years. He was his best friend and Mozzie would do anything for him. Anything… Like steal a treasure containing priceless masterpieces… all for Neal because he couldn't imagine losing his friend and that is what friends do. Okay, maybe regular friends don't, but it's what con artist friends do!

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**Your review is more than welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay. I hope you like it.**

**Thank you Bonkers4Reid, that always makes me feel so good with her compliments.**

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Neal had a quiet night. He was confused when he woke up early the next morning wrapped in a blanket, lying on his couch. He got up, took a shower and dressed for work. After staying a while with June he went to meet with Sara.

He had arranged to meet her the day before, but he called her on the way to the Bureau apologizing and explaining what had happened, or at least half of what happened. He did not think it was necessary to tell her that Peter held him for nearly five hours for a polygraph test, but said he had had a sleepless night and overslept.

Sara was waiting for him at a diner, sitting at a table in the back. She was making her order to the waitress when she saw Neal.

"Caffrey!" She said, grinning when he sat. "I thought you might stand me up again."

"I did not stand you up yesterday! I called and explained..." he defended himself.

"Ok, maybe I wasn't stood up, but I was disappointed because I thought I'd see you yesterday." She said giving him a kiss on his lips.

"Me too." He said through the kiss.

He hugged her and they sat like that, together, until her meal arrived.

"Are you okay?" Sara asked, looking at him.

"Yes, I'm having a few problems with Peter, but it'll all be fine." He replied shortly.

"That's not what I meant. You weren't well two nights ago. I was wondering if you're feeling alright." She said, looking into his eyes.

"I'm fine." He said, trying to dispel her concern. "It was just something I ate, but now I've never been better."

As Neal watched Sara take a bite of her pancakes he could swear that she didn't believe him.

"Sorry, I have to get going…"

"But you didn't eat anything!" Sara interrupted.

"I'm not hungry. Oh, before I forget, Peter might come to ask you some questions." He said as he straightened.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"He thinks the treasure didn't burn. That the explosion was a setup."

"What? But how..."

Neal gave her a look that said, 'what do you think?'

"Oh! He thinks you stole it?!"

"Yeah. But I didn't. I hope at least one person believes me." He looked into her eyes.

"I believe you. I probably shouldn't, but yes, I believe you." Sara smiled then asked seriously, "So what do you want me to tell him?"

"Everything about the other night."

"Everything?" Her gaze was suggestive.

"Well, skip the good parts." He smirked before leaving the diner.

Soon after his short meeting with Sara he went to the Bureau. He didn't know what to do or say to get Peter to start acting normal with him again. They only talked about what Neal would do when he met with Lawrence.

At lunchtime Peter was in a meeting with Hughes, so Neal took advantage of the opportunity for a gamble. He went to talk with Elizabeth. When he arrived in front of the Burkes' house he took a deep breath and knocked.

"Neal!" Elizabeth said in surprise when she opened the door. "Peter isn't home."

"I know," Neal responded. "I actually came to talk to you."

"To me?" Elizabeth couldn't conceal her curiosity and surprise,"Okay, come on in."

She led him to the kitchen and he had the feeling that she was intentionally hiding something from him. He sat in a chair and propped his arms on the counter.

"Do you want some coffee?" She asked grabbing a cup for him.

"No thanks." He politely declined, "But I would take some tea, if you would be so kind."

"Sure" she replied. Elizabeth quickly made tea and gave a cup to him. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about? Which obviously also made you want to come here at a time that Peter isn't home?" She asked, taking a seat beside him.

"Peter probably told you his suspicions about the treasure…?" He started.

"He may have commented." El admitted, not wanting to into the details.

"Elizabeth, you said to me once that Peter was the best thing to ever happen to me. And I agree with that, I trust him, but I'm having a hard time right now because he doesn't believe in me."

"Neal..." Elizabeth sighed.

"I know that everything I've done causes Peter to doubt me, and I readily admit that he has reason for it, but I can't understand why he won't accept that I'm telling the truth. I never lie to him. Never, Elizabeth," his words grew serious.

"What do you want me to say, Neal?"

"I don't want you tell me what he said to you, I'd never force you to betray your husband. I don't want to you say anything to me at all. I just want you to talk to him. Tell him I respect him and after everything we've been through, I've learned my lesson. Remind him that I'd never betray his trust."

"Why don't _you_ say that to him?" Elizabeth asked pointedly.

Neal glanced down at the cup in his hands sadly, "He doesn't listen to me, but maybe he'll listen to you. Please, El."

"Okay. I will see what I can do, but I can't make any promises."

"Thank you, a 'maybe' is more than I could do alone."

He stood up and gave El a quick hug and left to get back to work. Peter was leaving his meeting with Hughes at the time that Neal arrived. The afternoon passed slowly. He met with Lawrence and Neal, undercover as Gary, explained the plan for his escape.

When Neal got home, he changed his clothes and went to paint. Like he'd explained to Peter once, this calmed his nerves. Neal painted a lot. Some were reproductions of famous paintings, but most of what he worked on were his own creations.

WCWCWCWCWCWC

Mozzie had followed Elizabeth and now he observed her conversation with her old boss from the Dearmitt Gallery. Mozzie watched as she removed a plastic bag from her purse and gave it to him. Mozzie saw just a glance, but he was sure that he recognized it as Neal's painting.

He needed a plan. If the feds were to find out that the painting was a fake, Neal would be arrested because Peter was there when Neal completed that painting. He urgently needed to think up a plan.

WCWCWCWCWCWC

It could not be. No, Neal was not going crazy, but then what had happened? His paintings, all that he had done since he'd gotten out of jail, had disappeared! The studio was empty. He eventually returned to his room and started to prepare a new canvas.

Mozzie entered the door behind him. He looked a little worried, but he was trying hard to disguise it.

"Mozzie, are you ok?" Neal asked.

"Yes, yes. What are you doing?" He asked pointing to the easel.

"I wanted to paint some more." Neal looked curiously at his friend, "Mozzie, you wouldn't happen to know what happened to my paintings, would you?"

"Your... your paintings? What paintings?"

"You know Moz, I had a studio full of my artwork." He explained, "And today I went there and everything was gone!"

Mozzie remained in silence. What he could he tell Neal?

"Moz...! What you do with my paintings?"

"I sold it… all of it" Mozzie lied.

"Sold it? To whom? Or better, why?"

"Yes I sold them, you know, out there." He gestured with his hands. "And you know you need the money." Mozzie said, trying his best to sound offended.

"Okay Mozzie. I know that, but most of my paintings were not forgeries. You may not have earned much for my originals. "

"Yeah, I didn't get a lot, but it's a start."

Neal didn't want to argue with Mozzie. He knew his friend was anxious to get money but it was his own fault. He gave a reassuring smile to Mozzie that said, 'no problem' and returned his attention to the canvas. "So, I guess I'll have to start all over again!"

"You could begin with the Chrysler building that you had painted before. You did a really good job on that."

"You think so? Okay then... I'll start with that one." Neal smiled.

Mozzie smiled back. Now he was only missing a way to circumvent the test results of the paint. He had a plan and he needed help, but he couldn't think of anyone….

"Hey Neal!" a voice called from the door, "My grandmother said she heard you go straight upstairs. I thought I'd bring you some tea."

Cindy, June's granddaughter, was at the door holding a tray with tea and cookies. She would be Mozzie's accomplice.

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**Please, please, please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, here we go one more time.**

**Thanks Bonkers4Reid for help me to improve this without change the story. I love the great work you doing with it.**

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Peter came home and went straight to the kitchen where Elizabeth was with a smile and a cup of coffee. He hugged her from behind and kissed her. "Hi, hon."

"Hi, hon." She said, returning the kiss. "Hard day at the office?"

"No, just a meeting with Hughes about the case and Neal's meeting with Lawrence. And how was your day?" He stood behind her gently massaging her shoulders.

"I spoke with Neal." She said simply.

"What?" Peter asked, clearly shocked, "Where?"

"Here. He came today at lunch." She explained.

"Why did he come here?" Peter could not find sufficient reason for Neal to come to his house at a time when he wasn't home.

"He was asking me about your suspicions about the treasure."

"Asking you? What do you have to do with it?"

"Neal wanted me to talk to you, to tell you that he didn't steal the treasure and to remind you that he would never betray you." She said, turning to look directly at her husband.

"Neal won't betray me? He's betrayed my confidence many times!" He said remembering every instance the con man had let him down.

"Yeah, he admitted that he has done things that could make you doubt him, but he swore to me that he did not steal the treasure." El spoke calmly.

"And you believe him?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He seemed sincere." She defended herself.

"He's a con man, El." Peter said while sitting down across from her. He took a sip of coffee before continuing, "He lies for living."

"Yeah, but this time it seemed different."

"Different in what way?" Peter wanted to know.

"I don't know how to explain." She said looking shy.

"I don't know El. I want to believe he is innocent, but I can't. It will only be worse if I find out he lied to me after all."

Elizabeth walked around the table and hugged her husband from behind. "I understand you hon, I told him not to expect much. There is one thing that I want you to do for me though. Please take it easy on him until the test results for the painting arrive. I took it to the lab this afternoon. I think we'll know by tomorrow." She said before giving him a kiss.

"I'll try hon, I'll try." Peter said sipping of his coffee and considering what he would do if the test showed that the painting was a fake.

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The next day Mozzie went to the building where the painting had been brought for testing. He paid an employee to give him access to rooms without anyone noticing. The man declined to participate, but gave Mozzie exactly what he requested. The only problem left to tackle was the guard surveillance.

He could not enter without being observed by the surveillance cameras. That's where Cindy's role came into play. She pretended to need a test done urgently to see if her picture was genuine. She carried in a piece that was almost as big as her body. The guard tried to explain that they were only testing for galleries, but Cindy insisted that she needed to know whether the gift from her boyfriend was real or fake.

After a while she pretended to lose her balance and the guard came running to help her carry the painting. He stabilized the painting and promised to see what he could do for the young woman.

In the meantime Mozzie got in through the back door. He entered the room where the results were stored and soon found what he sought. The remnant of Neal's Chrysler Building painting had already been analyzed. He opened the envelope and saw the report stating that the painting was a fake. He quickly went to the computer and made a new copy, changing the text to say that the painting was done in the mid-1930s. He switched the results and left. Exiting was not a problem for Mozzie, as he already knew all the escape routes. He wanted to see the Suit's face when he learned that the picture was genuine.

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Neal had to think of something, quick. Jones was in danger. It didn't matter right now that Peter didn't trust him, as Clinton's life might be at stake. Besides, he thought his conversation with Elizabeth might have helped smooth things over. Peter had been a little less irritated and had smiled more today, though he'd still ordered Jones to tail him. But now because of this, Lawrence wanted to kill the agent.

Neal had to think fast... very fast. 'To get something you may have to sacrifice another,' he thought. His mother always told him that when he was young. Neal remembered how difficult it had been for him to give up a toy that his mother had promised him in exchange for a tour of the school. But this time it wasn't a hard decision. Jones needed it more than him and he knew Mozzie would understand. He dialed his friend and waited until Mozzie answered the phone.

"Freedom airlines, flight number one and only" Neal heard Mozzie say.

"I'm with the client." Neal replied, hoping Mozzie would understand. "We're putting the step three into effect."

"Step three? Neal, what are you talking about?"

"The client and I are moving the cargo to the airstrip." Neal observed Lawrence out of the corner of his eye.

"Client? Don't tell me you're talking about Lawrence!" Mozzie said immediately.

"That's right" Neal responded seriously.

"Neal, please don't. What are you doing?"

"Make sure it's all gassed up and good to go. All right? Grab your suit and meet me there."

"Neal…" but Neal hung up the phone before Mozzie had a chance to say more.

He began preparations and moments later they were on their way to the airstrip. He met Mozzie near the plane. Lawrence's men began to fill the plane with cargo.

"I said 'suit' not 'costume'." Neal whispered. Mozzie was wearing aviator clothes.

"Don't worry, the Suits got the message."

Neal took a pin from Mozzie's leather jacket and surreptitiously handed it to Jones when he passed by him. They heard the police sirens as they boarded the small plane.

Jones managed to loosen the handcuffs as the airplane was taxiing down the runway. Thanks to Mozzie's piloting, Peter and Diana were able to surround the plane and arrest Lawrence and his men without anyone getting hurt.

At the end of the day Neal went home and was surprised to find Peter in his apartment. His boss's back was turned to the door, as he was looking over Neal's paintings.

"Peter?" Neal called, "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing, I mean…" he turned around to face Neal, "I'm calling a truce".

"Finally! So, I presume you listened to what Elizabeth had to say." Neal declared it as a statement, not a question.

"I always listen to her." Peter said.

"So now will you get rid of that piece of my tie?" Neal said.

"Can you blame me?" He smiled. "Look, I'm smiling again."

"I like this" Neal said return the smile.

Peter's cell phone rang. Neal thought was a text message because Peter just glanced at the screen and looked to Neal. "I gotta go."

Neal nodded, "Peter… door's open anytime."

"Thanks" Peter said as he left.

Neal was finally happy. He went to the kitchen and started cooking his dinner. He heard the door open again and knew that it could only be Mozzie.

"And now what you going to do?" Mozzie asked.

"What?" Neal responded, confused.

"Well, are we going to leave, or do you want to stay now?"

"Mozzie… I…" Neal didn't know what to say. He knew Mozzie wanted to go, but things had changed. Peter had apologized and everything would return to normal. He remembered saying that he believed it better for everyone involved if he were to just go away, but now Neal was reconsidering. He just wanted to be a little selfish and take advantage of the good things going on in his life right now.

"Neal, I understand, you want to stay, so I won't pressure you to go."

"Thank you, Moz." That was the only thing he could find to say to his friend. "Thank you."

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**Please review. I really need to know what you think about the story, good or bad things. I prefer good, but I let in your hands. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, what I will say... I hope you enjoy.**

**My friend, Bonkers4Reid, I will never can thank you enough.**

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Everything was back to normal. At least that's what Neal would have liked, but he found that things weren't as simple as he'd thought they would be. It had been a little more than one week since Neal and Peter had resumed their regular relationship with each other when an agent, whom Neal discovered to be Agent Matthews of the DC Art Crimes department, came to speak with Peter. However, unlike usual, Peter hadn't told Neal why the agent had come.

This made him feel that things probably weren't completely back to normal after all. Now Neal had evidence that Peter still suspected him because he almost always told Neal about the people who were coming and going in his office. Most FBI agents kept CI's in the dark on certain things, but Peter and Neal's partnership was atypical. Neal suspected that Agent Matthews' presence was more than chance.

Two days after the mysterious agent's arrival Neal and Mozzie were sitting at June's house. Neal decided to bring her up and he explained his uneasiness about the situation. Mozzie seemed very interested for someone who had usually wanted nothing to do with the "suits". He asked about why someone from Art Crimes would be in New York with Peter. Mozzie then of course began perpetuating conspiracy theories.

But Neal had a few tricks up his sleeve. He knew someone that would know exactly what Peter was doing.

"Diana!" He called after his colleague. "You dropped this". He said raising her scarf. They were outside FBI building.

"Thanks" She said putting her handbag on the ground.

"It looks good on you." He said when she wrapped the scarf around her neck. "Was that a present?" He questioned.

"No."

"It's nice," he was cut off by a woman's voice.

"Di!" He turned toward the voice and watched as a beautiful woman approached. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized her.

"Hi." Diana greeted the woman.

"Hey." The woman countered, before kissing Diana.

No. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be Diana's girlfriend.

"Neal, this is my girlfriend, Christie." Diana smiled as she introduced the two.

"Christie," He said shaking her hand, but quickly looked away from her face. "It's so nice finally to meet you!"

"Neal Caffrey.." She said with a small smile. "I've heard a lot about you!"

"Good things or bad?" Neal asked, trying not to let on that he knew her already.

"Honestly? Both!" She said with a small laugh.

"So, Neal, we'd love to stand here talking to you for hours, but we have a dinner reservation." Diana said.

"Sure, I'll let you go." He replied, ready to leave.

"Neal, you want to come to dinner tomorrow night at our home? So we can talk more?" asked Christie.

"I don't know," he wanted to decline, "Sara might be coming over tomorrow night."

"Please invite her, too. I'd love to really meet you." Christie insisted, leaving Neal with no escape.

"Alright then. I'll talk to her about coming tomorrow, but only if you'll allow me to prepare the dinner."

"Neal, if you want to eat something other than dessert tomorrow, I suggest you do all the cooking!" Joked Diana. Christie smiled as the pair walked away together.

Neal smiled at the comment. When he arrived home he noticed that the door to his room was open. He did not think it was strange, as it was common for Mozzie to let himself in. Neal was shocked to discover that his visitor was not Mozzie but Sara.

"Hey, you," he said as he came closer. She was sitting on the couch reading a book. Upon the coffee table sat a bottle of wine beside a half full glass. "Normally I disapprove when somebody steals my wine, but I think today I will make an exception." He sat down beside her and pulled her into a kiss.

"Good, because I have some for you too." Sara smiled and handed Neal a glass.

"Thank you." He said, accepting the glass. "So, Diana invited us to dinner tomorrow. Actually it wasn't her; it was Christie, her girlfriend."

"Okay, I'd like that." She replied, giving him another kiss. "But that's tomorrow night, right? So tonight we have nothing planned?"

"No, are you thinking the same thing I am?" He asked, beginning to kiss her again.

"I guess so. But you'll have to make dinner or we'll starve to death." She giggled at Neal's expression.

"Very funny," he replied, heading to the kitchen anyway.

He made the dinner and after they ate, the couple moved to the bed.

Neal woke up two hours later and, taking care to not wake Sara, he quietly crossed to the bathroom and threw up all his dinner. He spent some time there to be sure his was done. He stood up and rinsed his mouth. He went to the kitchen and had a glass of water before returning to bed.

"Are you okay?" Sara asked sleepily.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go back to sleep." He replied as he crawled in next to her, within minutes Neal was sleeping again.

The next day, Neal had to spend a lot of time with Peter. Diana was working undercover as an assistant to a magazine editor. The day crawled by until finally it was time to go home.

Neal showered immediately after returning to his apartment, and he dressed in a dark blue shirt. At seven, he and Sara met and together they went to Diana's house.

Christie was alone when they arrived. Diana was still at work, no doubt stuck doing some pointless task for her fake boss. The three engaged in small talk for a while. Neal started to make dinner, but he was also very interested in following Sara and Christie's conversation.

When Diana finally came home Neal could tell from the look on her face that she hadn't enjoyed the day with her "boss".

After dinner Diana and Sara went to get the dessert while Neal and Christie stayed behind, talking on the couch. Neal happened to glance over and he noticed a German dictionary on the bookshelf.

"Neal, you don't look comfortable. What's the matter?" Christie asked innocently.

"What's the matter?" Neal repeats her sarcastically, "I had no idea that you were Diana's girlfriend when we met!"

"And how does that change anything?" She asked.

"Does Diana know? You won't tell her, will you?"

"No. Neal, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew who you were the entire time. But trust me on this, if I had planned to tell Diana, she would know by now." Christie said. "I realize that this is neither the time nor place to discuss this, so will you come see me tomorrow? Please, Neal."

Neal considered, "Okay. I'll stop by the hospital before work."

The four ate dessert and later Neal and Sara said good bye to Diana and Christie. Upon arriving at Neal's apartment, they discovered that they were not alone. Both Mozzie and Neal attempted to persuade her to stay, but Sara decided it best to leave the friends to themselves.

Once Sara had left, Mozzie asked sardonically, "So, how was dinner with the Lady suit and Mrs. Lady suit?"

"Dr. Lady suit." Neal corrected him with a smile.

"I guess it wasn't too bad?" Mozzie assumed.

"It wasn't." Neal agreed, "But there's something I haven't told you, Moz."

"And what is that?" Mozzie inquired.

"I already knew Diana's girlfriend." Neal admitted.

"What? From where?"

"It's Christie." Neal said and Mozzie fell in a chair.

"What? That Christie?! She wants something from you, doesn't she?" Mozzie speculated, "She's blackmailing you."

"I don't think so, Moz. She does want to meet with me tomorrow though."

"So will you?" Mozzie asked.

"Yeah, I promised her I would."

"You know what," Mozzie said thoughtful. "Now that I think about it, this might be a good thing."

"How's that?" Neal didn't follow his friend's thoughts.

"Maybe she put something in your head." Neal understood what Mozzie meant, but he preferred not to think about it right now. He wanted to sleep now that Sara had left… Especially since he would have to go see Christie early in the morning.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, so I hope don't let nobody down.**

**Thanks to Bonkers4Reid, you rocks.**

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Neal woke up early, showered, ate breakfast and went to meet Christie at the hospital. He approached the front desk and spoke with a woman in her twenties.

"Hi, can I help you?" The girl asked politely. The name badge said 'Amanda'.

"I'm looking for Dr. Adams." Neal said smiling.

"Are you Neal Caffrey?" She asked.

Neal was surprised but soon recovered, "Yes, I am."

"Please follow me." She said and he followed her into a corridor where there were four doors. She knocked on the second door and after a short pause she opened it.

"Dr. Adams? Mr. Caffrey is here." Amanda announced. He went inside with her.

"Thank you, Amanda. Would you close the door when you leave?" Christie requested.

"Sure." She left, taking a last look at Neal.

"Neal, I'm glad you came." She said with a smile.

"I told you I would come." He was direct. "Why didn't you tell me you were Diana's girlfriend?"

"It's irrelevant. I was, and still am, totally indifferent." She replied flatly.

"Indifferent? I work with her. You knew about me before you ever met me." He accused.

"I know, but I didn't tell Diana that I met you. And I won't tell her, much less Sara or Peter. It's a part of my job." She said sitting down, "Neal, when I became a doctor I took an oath of secrecy not to tell people things that my patients don't want them to know."

"But I'm not your patient." He said seriously.

"Only because you don't want to be! But that's why I asked you to come today." She said with a warm smile. "Please, Neal, don't deny my help."

"I am not denying any help. If you knew a way to help me, and I would love you if you did, I would try whatever you advised. But you said that there is nothing you can do about it." Neal explained, exasperated.

"I never said that." She defended herself.

"You said my cancer was too complex for an operation and that chemotherapy wouldn't work. What other options do I have? "He started to raise his voice.

"Chemotherapy cannot cure you, but it can give you more time," she explained softly, attempting to make him reconsider.

"More time? How long?" Neal continued sarcastically, "A few months? A year? I don't want it. I don't want to prolong my life if it means I'll look in the mirror every day and not recognize myself. I'm going to die anyway, so I'd rather have it be quick."

"Don't talk like that," protested Christie. "There are many people who love you would love to help you, so please don't give up so easily."

"This isn't a question of giving up. I'm simply stating that there is nothing that can be done. I'm not going to tell anyone else until it is obvious that I can't hide the truth anymore. I beg of you to please help me keep this a secret… For now." He was firm.

They stared each other down for a moment. Neal could sense that Christie was still thinking of an argument to persuade him. Mozzie was trying it too. He even had researched the treatment options himself, but the cancer in his stomach was very rare and he'd found nothing that could help... Except for Mozzie. He'd read about a drug that hadn't yet been approved for marketing. This wasn't a problem, as Neal had learned how to get ahold of such things when he'd acted as Gary Rydell.

Christie seemed to have read Neal's thoughts. She took a deep breath, "I know what you're thinking."

"Great. Now everyone thinks they know me!" He'd said it sarcastically, but seeing the look on her face, he quickly realized that he had hurt her. What had gotten into him? After all, she just wanted to help. "Sorry." He said softly, closing his eyes.

"You're thinking of smuggling it, aren't you?" She asserted as if she had not been interrupted. "Judging by your record, it shouldn't be difficult for you to get ahold of."

"Do you blame me for thinking about it?" He asked calmly.

"No, I really can't, but as a doctor I have to warn you that there are reasons why this drug isn't available yet."

"And why is that?" Neal wondered.

"First, it hasn't worked for everyone and second, it can kill the patient before the cancer is cured. There is a lot of chemistry in medicine, Neal, and it is possible that complications may arise in other organs instead of it treating the cancer." She explained.

"Don't worry," Neal said with a weak laugh. "I'm not going to kill myself anytime soon."

"What do you mean?" She asked blankly.

"I mean that I can't buy this medicine, not because I'm afraid it'll kill me, but because I can't afford it."

"So it's very expensive then?" She asked curiously.

"Sell your house and maybe you'd have enough money for one dosage of the medicine." He paused looking to her. "And I presume that I would need more than that."

Christie isn't sure what to say. She figured the drug was expensive, but she had no idea how costly it really was. "I'm sorry. I know you really wanted it. "

"I have to go to work," he said trying to leave.

"Alright, just promise me one thing." She said, standing in front of him.

"What?"

"If you need anything, please come see me." She looked worried.

"All right." He agreed with a smile. She was a good person; he didn't know why he had become so agitated.

He went outside and hailed a taxi to get to the office. His phone rang and he answered without looking at the screen.

"Hello." He said.

"Hi" It was Mozzie "Have you been to the Bureau?"

"I'm on my way."

"From your tone I perceive you don't want to talk about your conversation with Christie."

"Not right now, Moz."

"Okay, fine. Hey, I wanted to ask you something yesterday but I forgot."

"What is it?"

"Did you notice anything at Diana's house?"

"I didn't see anything" Neal knew exactly what Mozzie was saying. He still didn't understand the reason why Mozzie cared so much though. "Only a German dictionary, but nothing that interests me."

"Okay ... umm ... bye ..." Mozzie worriedly ended the phone call.

Neal did a lot of thinking the rest of the ride. He went straight to work, as he still had a long day ahead.

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**Let me know if you liked, pleaseeee.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, now I can write this without put a spoiler: I'm not a doctor so I'm sorry if something is a little fantasy.**

**For you, Bonkers4Reid, I say thousand times: Thank you.**

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Mozzie didn't want to waste time. Every day that passed counted against Neal. He already had a buyer for one of the Degas, but he had a feeling that something was wrong. According to Neal, the Suit was still hiding things from him. And Diana… What was she doing with a German dictionary?

Of course it could just be a coincidence, only one of his conspiracy theories, but he was anxious. He had even removed the painting from the black market just two hours after he'd put it out there, just until he found out what was wrong.

Mozzie had never been so cautious, and normally he would stick with the plan to sell one of the paintings and leave. But this wasn't a normal situation. He hadn't stolen the treasure for himself; he had done it for Neal. Not that he would need a billion dollars to do it, but it was certainly the quickest plan he could come up with. And you could never have too much money.

He waited for Neal to come from work. It wasn't one of his better days and Mozzie was afraid that Neal would never get "well" again.

When Neal walked through the door, Mozzie quickly noticed the pallor of his face. He came in and closed the door without saying anything. Mozzie watched as he took one of his pills from a bottle on the nightstand and drank a glass of water.

"What happened?" Mozzie asked. He knew Neal's stomach hurt more every time he became stressed. Neal didn't answer. "Neal, what happened?"

"Peter's still suspicious of me." Neal said, propping himself up against the sink with both hands and bowing his head. "After all this, he still doesn't trust me."

"Well, isn't it possible you're imagining it?" Mozzie didn't understand what Peter could have done to make Neal still feel this way.

"Yes, but today I found out what was wrong, what he was hiding." Neal inhaled sharply as he sat down.

"What is it?" Mozzie desperately wanted to know so he could solve the problem, as he'd done with the painting of the Chrysler building. He needed to sell the treasure soon to help his friend, because in this case time was health.

"Peter has the U-boat's Manifest." Neal said

"What? What do you mean by that? "Mozzie knew he probably didn't want to hear the answer.

"He has a page of the Manifest which contains a list of some of the paintings that were on the U-boat. He thinks that if someone stole the treasure, he'll catch the man when he tries to sell the pieces. "

Mozzie stood motionless. How could he know which paintings he could sell if he didn't have this list? He needed a copy of this, or no matter what he did, his friend would die.

"You're sure about this? The Suit said all that?" Mozzie asked, trying to hold back.

"Of course not." Neal said getting up from the chair and walking over to the couch. "He'd never tell his prime suspect about the only tool that he has to catch him."

"So how do you know?" Mozzie was confused.

"I pretended to forget my phone in his office." Seeing the expression on Mozzie's misunderstanding face, he elaborated, "Before leaving the room I realized that he would talk to Diana in there alone, so I left my phone recording the conversation without him noticing. So when Diana came out, I pretended to notice that I'd lost my phone. Then Peter let me back in to get it. "

"So that's why Diana had a German dictionary on her shelf!" Mozzie said.

"Probably. The Manifest was almost certainly in German so she'd have to translate it."

"But why didn't she just use the internet?" Mozzie wondered aloud.

"Peter probably didn't want someone tracking her Google translator usage."

"Then I'm not the only one who has delusions of conspiracy!" Mozzie laughed. He knew Neal was right; he could have hacked in himself to see if she used an online translator.

"I don't know, Mozzie," Neal continued, defeated, "It seems like no matter what I do Peter won't trust me again. He would only stop doubting me if he caught someone else with the treasure. "

"But since it's gone…"

"He'll never trust me again, even though I'm innocent in this." Neal was dejected. Of course, he didn't have much time left and he really didn't want to spend the rest of his days being suspected of a crime he didn't commit. And worse, it was a crime that he didn't believe had actually been committed. "How ironic is that?"

"What?" Mozzie didn't know what Neal was talking about.

"Peter suspects I stole a billion dollars' worth of artwork, but he doesn't knowing that I'll die in a few months because I don't have the money for medicine." He laughed wearily.

"That's not funny." Mozzie said warningly. He didn't like it when Neal talked so candidly about dying.

"No, it's not. I know it's not. I'm sorry Moz." Neal looked embarrassed.

"Speaking of that, how are you feeling right now?" Mozzie tried to sound as if it was just curiosity.

"The pain is starting to increase more and none of the remedies I've tried have worked yet."

"Do you need me to do anything?" He inquired.

"No, thanks Moz. I think I'll take a shower and then lie down for a while." He'd only just spoken these words when a strong wave of nausea passed over him and he ran for the bathroom, barely arriving in time to throw up. When he was finished, he looked up to see Mozzie standing in the doorway.

"I think better you take more pills because you just vomited them up."

"You think Mozzie?" It was all Neal could say before he threw up again.

"I'll get them for you." Mozzie offered, walking away. He didn't want to see the evidence that his friend was very sick. He needed to find a way to sell the treasure so he could finally buy the medicine that Neal needed.

He went downstairs to June's kitchen and asked the cook to prepare some soup for Neal. If Neal didn't eat something before bed he would probably pass out whenever he woke up.

When he returned to the bathroom, Neal's clothes were all over the floor and he was in the shower. Mozzie retrieved clean clothes and a towel for his friend.

When Neal emerged from the bathroom fully clothed he still seemed to be in a great deal of pain, but he didn't look as if he would vomit again. He took the medicine that Mozzie handed to him and then went to bed to wait for them to start working.

June's cook appeared minutes later with a tray containing the soup that Mozzie had requested. Neal was very tired, but didn't refuse the soup. Once he was finished, Mozzie removed Neal's tray and took it back downstairs. When he returned to the apartment, Neal was already asleep. Mozzie watched him sleep and dozed off sitting on Neal's couch.

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**The review is the pay for the writer. Please review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**More one chapter...**

**Bonkers4Reid: Thank you, thank you, thank you, ...**

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Day after day Neal felt increasingly ill. The pain in his stomach became more frequent, resulting in him throwing up every day, sometimes more than once. When the pain was stronger he would go the whole day without eating anything.

He continued working without even calling in sick once, even when the pain was such that he could hardly walk. He felt his suits beginning to hang loosely off his slimmer frame and every time he looked in the mirror his face was paler and the circles under his eyes were darker.

He couldn't take his pills for pain and nausea for much longer. He was unable to keep them down long enough for them to take effect. He had no alternative but talk with Christie, who gave him an injectable version of the drugs.

Neal watched Peter and noticed that the agent realized that something was off with him. Peter seemed cautious, but didn't ask any questions besides a simple, "Are you okay?" Neal wasn't yet ready to tell Peter. If he told Peter, he probably wouldn't let him work anymore if he looked like he could drop dead at any moment.

Sara also seemed to notice that something was wrong. She looked more interested, but hadn't asked many questions. She was staying in a hotel while her apartment was under renovation.

It was raining when Neal met her in front of the Four Seasons. He gently put his umbrella over her, and as they walked they discussed Neal's former life.

Their day changed course drastically when Sara was drawing money at an ATM and noticed that her account was empty. Neal took the case to Peter and discovered that Sara wasn't the only one who'd lost money. 125 million dollars had been hacked and transferred to the account of Cameron Duponte, most likely an alias.

Sara could no longer afford the hotel and her apartment was still being renovated, so Neal was very worried about her. He did the only thing he thought was right to do and invited her to move into his apartment temporarily.

He, Sara and Mozzie put together a plan to lure in the hacker. For that Neal had to impersonate Cameron Duponte.

"What do you think?" He asked. He looked in the mirror to see if everything looked right. He dressed in a suit that wouldn't showcase the weight he'd lost. "Do I look like Monsieur Duponte?"

"You are a veritable master of disguise." Sara chuckled as she approached him. Even though Neal was very thin and pale he was still very handsome and attractive. "Zip me up?"

"You know, helping you dress seems so counterproductive." He flirted while doing what she asked.

" Monsieur Duponte!" Sara exclaimed, turning to him. "If only we didn't have a previous engagement…" He kissed her neck, but stopped when she addressed him, "Neal... there was a box on the bed…"

"The banker's box?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Yeah, I moved it." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Where?" She looked at him pointedly.

"Right there." He gestured to a corner of the room.

"That is a box of Sterling Bosch case files, which means it is very off-limits." She said.

"Ooh, now you got me curious." He said with a playful smile and started walking toward it.

Sara grabbed Neal's arm, "Stop it. I'm serious. All right? Some things are private."

"I thought this was about not having any secrets."

"Okay. So you start." She pushed.

"Me? Start with what? "

"You're hiding something, and it seems serious." She accused.

"It's nothing, okay?" He replied, trying to change the subject.

"Don't tell me you're okay when you obviously aren't." She wanted answers.

"I'm really not." He decided to say, "I just don't want talk about it right now."

"Neal ..." Sara didn't want to end this conversation so soon.

"Come here," he said hugging her, "We'll talk about it, but now isn't the time"

"Okay," Sara let it go, but just for now. "But keep your hands off my banker's box."

"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that." He retorted jokingly.

"You're trouble." She said returning his kiss.

Their plan went over very well... A little too well. Neal had asked for the bank to reissue Duponte's card after Sara changed his information. They spent the money and waited for the hacker who'd struck the blow to appear. Neal hadn't expected Peter to discover his plan before they'd found the hacker. The discussion wasn't pretty, Neal had to admit it.

When the case had been solved Peter called Neal in his office. His facial expression said it all.

"Yeah?" Neal said when he entered.

"Come in and close the door." Neal obeyed. "Neal, you need to tell me what is going on with you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Neal replied, pretending to not understand.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Peter accused.

"No, I don't know." Neal wasn't ready to reveal the truth just yet.

"Take off your jacket and roll up your sleeves." Peter demanded, giving Neal a sense of déjà vu.

"Again, Peter?" Neal looked around the desk, "Do you have a polygraph hidden somewhere I'm not seeing?" Neal chuckled slightly.

"Just do it, Neal."

Neal knew it would be worse if he refused. He didn't understand what Peter wanted, but did it anyway. He cursed to himself as he rolled up his sleeves and the needle marks were in plain sight."

"When were you planning to tell me?" Peter seemed very angry now… Angrier than the day the U-boat exploded.

"I don't know, maybe in a little while."

"Why would you do something like that Neal?" Peter asked putting his head in his hands. Neal hated the glass walls at that moment. He quickly lowered his sleeves again.

"I don't understand. You were fighting me for not telling you and now you're mad at me for telling you?" Neal was very confused.

"No, Neal. I don't understand why you'd want to mess up your life like that. "

"You've lost me, Peter. What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. I'm referring to your drug use, Neal. I've never imagined you going down that path. It's not what I would have expected you wanting for yourself." Peter was practically shouting now.

"Peter, it's not what you're thinking…" Neal started.

"It's not? Then what is it?"

"I'm not a junkie." It was all Neal could say. He wanted to cry in frustration, but he couldn't show Peter how vulnerable he was.

"Oh, okay. That's what all junkies say."

"Peter, would you please lower your tone?" Neal practically whispered. "You're embarrassing me."

"Okay, you know what?" Peter didn't change the tone. "The case is closed now so you can go home. I can't talk to you anymore today."

"As you wish." Neal grabbed his jacket and left the office, heading toward the elevators ignoring whoever was watching him. Once again Peter didn't trust him and he didn't know why it still bothered him so much. He was more than accustomed to it, but that didn't mean that Peter's distrust hurt any less.

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**I don't know if the end of this chapter going to take a way that pleases you, so I need that you tell me what you think about it. I like the way that story goes, but I need to know if you like. Please review. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for all the reviews, you can't see me now, but I'm smiling because of them.**

**Bonkers4Reid, thanks for be my beta.**

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Neal came home and sat on the couch. He sat there thinking about what Peter had said. He knew that if he revealed the truth Peter would believe him. But what if he didn't? What if he continued doubting him? Or what if Peter did believe him, but didn't care he was dying? No, Peter wasn't like that, but he was afraid nonetheless. If any of those things happened, Neal couldn't bear it. He just didn't know what was best for him to do… Whether he should tell Peter the truth or let him draw his own conclusions, even if they were absurd.

He didn't know how long he sat there until Sara entered the apartment. She was startled when she saw him on the couch. She was supposed to be home before him.

"Neal? I thought you'd still be at work." He didn't respond, which was unusual. "Neal, what happened?"

"Peter gave me the rest of the day off." It was a partial truth. "The case was closed and he didn't need me anymore."

"That's all?" Sara asked suspiciously.

"No," Neal admitted. "Peter and I had a disagreement."

"What kind of disagreement?" Sara asked as she put her purse in a chair and walked closer to the couch.

"Like, he yelled and I listened." Neal said calmly. "He was so loud; I swear the entire Bureau could hear him say that I was a drug addict."

"Neal..." Sara said approaching him, but reconsidered and stopped a few feet away. "Neal, I'm sorry."

"He embarrassed me in front everyone, Sara!" Tears of frustration started rolling so Neal quickly rubbed his face with his hand to try to dry them.

"Neal, I'm so sorry." Sara repeated as she sat down beside him. "It's my fault. I have been talking to Peter and I told him about the needle marks on your arms."

"I know." He said simply.

"You know? Peter told you?" She wasn't expecting that to be Neal's reaction.

"No, he didn't. I just figured it would be a little hard not to see the marks when you're naked in front of someone." He said with a small smile.

"Aren't you mad at me?" She asked, confused.

"No." He replied while looking into her eyes. "It's my fault for not telling you what was happening."

"I was worried about you, and you didn't want to talk to me so I figured I should tell Peter about it." Sara admitted. "I just didn't know he would get so angry."

"It's okay… It wasn't your fault." Neal said, gently caressing Sara's cheek.

"So we'll talk about it now?" She asked hopefully.

"I'm not a junkie, Sara." Neal said simply.

"Neal..." He knew the tone she used and knew he couldn't get out of it this time.

"I'm not." He insisted. "I know that all junkies say that, but I'm not one of them." He stood up.

"Okay, I believe you, but why don't you tell me what's wrong?" She pleaded, turning around on the couch to face him.

Neal looked at Sara without knowing how to start. How he would explain things to her without being too direct and insensitive? He just wanted to end it, to stop hiding things from her. She didn't deserve that… She deserved the truth because she was so worried about him. He needed her to hold him and tell him that that everything would be okay, even if it was a lie.

"I'm sick." It was all he could think of to say.

"How sick?" She asked with eyes fixed on him.

"Very sick." He admitted, collapsing into a chair. She knelt before him and attempted to soothe his anxious thoughts by stroking his neck.

"What do you have?" Her tone was soft.

"Cancer. Stomach cancer." He paused and frowned when she sighed, but decided to continue, it was now or never. "It's a very rare type. Chemotherapy would give me more time, but it can't be cured." He didn't want to go into detail about his only chance; he knew he'd never get that medicine. That would just give her hope, only to be pulled away when he'd explain the cost.

"Have you told Peter?" Sara asked hoarsely.

"No, I... I didn't know how to say it." He said looking away.

"And you let him think you're getting high?" Sara asked, astounded. "Really Neal, I don't understand."

"I would have told him, but he didn't give me a chance!" Neal defended himself.

"And that's it? Or is there something more?" God, how could she read him this well?

"I don't know, I guess I wouldn't hold out if he doesn't care or doesn't believe me." He had never spoken his doubts and insecurities about this aloud. A lump formed in his throat and tears threatened to spill over.

"Oh, Neal." She gave him a rueful look. "Do you really think that Peter wouldn't believe you? Or be so insensitive as to not care?"

"I honestly don't know." Neal stared down at his hands. "But after today..."

"He cares about you. It's only because he wasn't happy with you today." She interrupted him.

"I want to believe you, but since the U-boat exploded our relationship went to hell." He said, his voice growing weaker. "But you're right. I have to tell him."

"I'll stay." She declared.

"What?" He wondered, confused.

"I said that I will stay. I'm not going back to the hotel when you need me."

"Sara..."

"Don't 'Sara' me. I've decided and you can't change my mind" She remarked defiantly.

"Thank you." Neal let himself be embraced and he did something he never did… He cried.

He cried lamenting Peter's distrust, his physical and mental suffering, and for the life that he'd never get to have with Sara. He loved Sara. Even though they'd only been together for a short time, he knew that his feeling for her was love, regardless of how she felt about him. He felt something stronger than when he was with Kate, which he thought he'd never feel for another person.

It had taken him too long to find Sara, and now he would only have a few more months with her at the most. He sobbed as she kept her arms firmly around him.

"I'll die, Sara." He whispered between sobs. It was the first time he let himself break and he was terrified. "I'll die and nobody can do anything to stop this."

"It's okay." She tried to calm him down. "Everything is going to be okay." He knew that it was a lie and that nothing would be okay, but he had everything he needed at that moment. He had told Sara the truth and she didn't leave, and he was now in her arms. He was in the arms of the woman he loved so he was going to savor the moment regardless of how long… or short, as the case may be… it lasted.

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**I know some of you waited for that chapter and I hope it's the way you like. Reviews never are too much. Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**And the chapter 11 is online. lol**

**Thank you for all the reviews. **

**Bonkers4Reid, thanks again. and again, and again ...**

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As the days passed, Neal tried to talk to Peter, tried to tell him about his illness, but Peter left no opening for that happen. All of their conversations revolved around work, and even then, those conversations didn't occur very often.

Neal needed more time, but that was the one thing he didn't have. He'd known of his situation for four months and now his symptoms were worse than ever. The pain was such that he had to finally call in a sick day a few days after a case involving Jones' friend who had been kidnapped.

He hadn't told Sara about his pain. He simply called the Bureau after she'd left for work and said he wasn't feeling very well. Sara would have stayed with him if he'd have told her, but he didn't want her to miss a day of work for him. He'd probably feel better in a while anyway.

He self-administered a shot containing the medicine that Christie had given him, but all it did was calm down the pain enough for him to go back to sleep. He slept almost the whole day and when he woke up the pain was back.

He wished someone could be with him but Mozzie was busy with some crazy plan to get God-knows-what, and Peter hadn't even called to find out why he hadn't gone to work. Sara would arrive at any moment, so he didn't need to worry about calling her. After all he couldn't just ask her to stop her life for him.

By the time Sara arrived Neal had fallen back to sleep. She went to the kitchen for a glass of water and didn't notice that she wasn't alone until she went towards the couch. Neal was in bed curled up in his blanket. He was still wearing the same clothes he'd slept in the night before.

She left the glass on the nightstand and sat down next to Neal. She noted that even asleep he had a pained expression on his face. It pained her to know that the charming and attractive Neal Caffrey was suffering. She didn't know why she couldn't admit aloud that she loved him. She knew that she was in love with him, but she hadn't said it yet. The thought of not being able to tell him in time terrified her.

Sara ran her hand through Neal's hair and brushed it off of his forehead. She didn't want to wake him, but gave him a soft kiss on the lips. She took off her shoes and curled up beside him. She quickly dozed off. Neal's squirming beside her eventually woke her up.

"Neal!" She called. His eyes were still closed, and he held his arm firmly around his stomach, as if trying to ease the pain. "Neal, wake up."

A slight whimper was his only reply. His eyes fluttered open; his hand remained clenched protectively over his stomach. If his expression revealed the pain he was in, then his eyes exposed how desperate he was.

"Are you all right?" 'What a stupid question,' she thought. But at least this was a way to start trying to figure out what was wrong.

"No." The honesty and pain in his voice broke Sara's heart. "I need... I need help to get to the bathroom."

"All right." Sara stood up and offered Neal her shoulder for support. She wrapped her arm around his waist and they slowly made their way to the bathroom. Once Sara opened the door Neal sat on the floor beside the sink. "I'll get your medication. Where is it?"

"Nightstand." He paused to breathe. "Second drawer."

"Okay." She replied, running to the bedroom.

She soon found a syringe and medicine and ran back to the bathroom. She found Neal throwing up, kneeling beside the toilet. She laid the syringe on the counter and knelt beside him, rubbing his back.

When he finished he looked tired and sat down again, leaning his head against the wall. "Sorry for that," he said hoarsely, closing his eyes.

"It's fine, let me see your arm, I'll give you the shot." She grabbed the things from the sink.

"I can handle it myself; you don't need to do that." He extended his hand to take the syringe from her, but Sara ignored him.

"Come on Caffrey, I took care of my mother before she ..." She couldn't find it within herself to finish the sentence.

"How'd she die?" Neal queried innocently.

Sara was silent for a while as she applied the shot in Neal's arm. Why the hell had she started on this topic? "Cancer." She replied simply, glancing at Neal.

"I'm so sorry I'm making you go through all of that again." He apologized before taking her hand in his.

"It's okay. I want be here with you." She said squeezing his hand gently in response. "I just don't understand why you didn't tell me immediately when you found out."

"I didn't want to put this on you." He explained.

"I wish you had." She said glancing aside. She noticed something that scared the hell out of her, "Neal, you just vomited blood!"

"What?" He glanced into the toilet like Sara. "Oh, that can't be good!" He said weakly.

It wasn't good. Deep down, Sara wished that everything wasn't as serious as she'd feared, but now she couldn't doubt reality anymore. Neal Caffrey was dying.

Five minutes later Sara helped Neal rinse his mouth and she helped him back into bed. He was asleep again almost instantly. After showering, Sara once again crawled in beside him. She softly played with his hair for several minutes. The expression on Neal's face was so calm that it relieved her aching heart.

Neal did not wake up the entire night. There were moments when he stirred, but Sara calmed him without waking him. She didn't know if was the pain returning or if he was having nightmares about God-knows-what. Sara preferred to think it was nightmares.

When Neal woke up he smiled seeing Sara in the kitchen. A glorious smell wafted to his nose.

"Good Morning." He said taking her by surprise.

"Good Morning." She replied waving. "I made toast and apple tea! How is your stomach feeling?"

"Better. Much better, thank you," he said getting up, "What time is it?"

"Half past nine." She responded.

"Why did you let me sleep so late? I need to go to work, and so do you." He added, worried.

"I didn't think you would want to go to work today, and I thought I'd stay here to keep you company."

"Peter won't like this."

"Okay. If you feel like you can work, call the Bureau and tell them you'll be in late this morning. Because Neal…" She gave him a funny look, "first you're going to need a bath!"

"I think you're right." He said, giving up a smile.

He called and Diana answered. She told him that Peter wasn't there and said she would warn him about Neal's tardiness. He sat and ate his toast and drank his tea.

"So, do I make a good housewife?" Sara asked flirtatiously.

"Housewife? I'm not so sure." He watched as her smile faded away, "But you sure make a great nurse." Sara's smile reappeared. "Thanks for last night."

"Anytime you need it."

As he finished his toast there a knock at the door. Sara got up to answer it. Neal stood up when he saw it was Peter.

"Hello Sara, now I see why Neal was late." He said when he noticed Sara was wearing a robe. "I came to pick up Neal."

"Peter," Neal started. Peter turned to look at him, but soon his attention was attracted to the new marks on Neal's arm. He looked like he was about to say something, but didn't. "Okay, I know I'm late, but I called Diana and said I would be there soon. Why did you come here to pick me up?" Neal asked, trying to distract Peter from his bare arms.

"New case," Peter announced, "We have information about Matthew Keller."

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**So, I hope you liked. I'm waiting your review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, look I here one more time. :)**

**I like that chapter t****hanks to ****Bonker4Reid, so thank you with all my heart. :)****  
**

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Mozzie was getting very nervous. Every one of his attempts at finding the U-boat Manifest had failed. He didn't have much time and didn't know if when he finally managed to sell the art it would be too late. He could try to sell one of the paintings, but it was too risky and it could end up costing his freedom and more importantly, Neal's life.

Mozzie had thought of entering the FBI building, but doubted whether it was a good idea. Diana had translated the manifesto, but there wasn't a reason to have a copy of it lying around now. The only way out was Peter.

Peter must possess a copy of the manuscript to keep an eye on the paintings, but he didn't trust Neal and wouldn't leave it at the office where his CI would have access. Mozzie decided to raid Peter's house. The idea of invading the home of a fed wasn't the best, but it was his last shot, Neal's life depended on it. It had already been four months and he hadn't yet achieved his goal.

In order to do this, Mozzie would need to find a night when the Burkes wouldn't be home. This would require Neal's help.

WCWCWCWCWC

'We have information about Matthew Keller.' These words were enough to make Neal rush. He took a quick shower and got ready. His clothes were already lying out on the bed for him. He needed to thank Sara for it later.

The idea of new information about Keller gave Neal a surge of energy. Keller had done a lot of terrible things, but the worst for Neal was when he'd planned for Peter to be kidnapped. Keller had murdered people in the past, but Peter meant a lot to Neal. Now, Keller had been caught on a surveillance camera stealing a 3500 year old Egyptian amulet.

Peter invited Neal for a walk. It would be a perfect occasion for Neal to reveal the truth to Peter. They started talking about Keller. Peter believed that Keller suspected Neal had the Nazi treasure. Neal assured Peter that he could manipulate Keller's suspicions in order to catch him. Neal never got a chance to tell Peter about his cancer, the opportunity was lost.

Keller's connection in New York was an Egyptologist and fence named Raquel LaRoque. Neal managed to find a way to communicate with Raquel through Hale, an associate of Mozzie's.

Neal was disguised to meet Raquel. Her specialty was hiding valuable pieces inside fakes. She agreed to contact Neal for another meeting. Unfortunately, not everything went as expected. Mozzie had called Neal to inform him that Hale was murdered. Upon inspection of the footage from the cameras installed in Hale's car, they realized that the killer was none other than Matthew Keller.

While the case wasn't yet resolved, Mozzie thought up a plan for Neal to get closer to Peter… A dinner at Neal's apartment.

Neal considered that idea and agreed. He then called Elizabeth to invite her. It didn't require much persuasion, because she agreed almost automatically. Neal decided to let Elizabeth inform Peter, as convincing him would be an easy task for her. When Neal got home, Sara was waiting with a worried expression. "What happened?" he asked, approaching her.

"Is this Matthew Keller?" Sara asked, holding up a photo.

"Where'd you get that?" Neal asked blankly.

"Mozzie gave it to me. Now answer me, Neal! Is this Matthew Keller? "

"Yeah." Neal replied, focused on the photo.

"He stopped me on the street today." She said throwing the picture on the table.

"What? Are you okay?" Neal asked shocked. He looked at Sara worriedly.

"I'm fine. He pretended to be from Interpol. He said they were investigating you about the treasure." She ran a hand through her hair nervously, "He's been following us for a while. He has pictures of us buying the four helicopters."

"I don't have the treasure!" He said seriously.

"I know. Mozzie told me about the medicine you need. "

"Then you know that if I had the treasure I could be healed."

"Why'd you hide it from me?" She asked, standing up.

"I didn't hide it. I just didn't want to give you false hope, because as I said, I can't afford it, not by a long shot!"

"You had 125 million dollars in your hands and you passed up the opportunity?" She asked incredulously.

"It wasn't my money! If you remember correctly, we did what we did in order to get the money back to the people it belonged to."

"You're telling me you don't care about dying?" She almost whispered. She couldn't believe him.

"The money wasn't mine, Sara. Your money was there too. What would you have said if I'd run away with that money?" The question was meant to be rhetorical, but Sara actually answered.

"If I'd known why, I would have tried to help you." She responded as tears began to trickle down her face. "I don't want to lose you, Neal."

He hugged her. They remained locked in each others' arms until they heard a knock announcing that Peter and Elizabeth had arrived. Sara rushed to the bathroom to wash her face while Neal received their guests.

Dinner didn't go as Neal had hoped. Peter seemed determined to avoid him almost the entire night. He stayed close by Elizabeth or strayed to discuss Sterling Bosch with Sara. When he was unable to escape Neal, he only talked about finding Keller. Neal decided, once again, to leave that conversation for another time.

WCWCWCWCWC

When Mozzie had suggested Neal invite the Burkes over, he'd managed to design a night that Mr. and Mrs. Suit wouldn't be home. Invading their home was easy and he began to rummage through the house carefully. After thoroughly searching the lower floor, he made sure he hadn't disturbed anything before he headed upstairs.

Mozzie's valiant effort was all in vain. He'd spent a fair amount of time there, but he'd found nothing. He couldn't stop thinking that Keller had killed one of his friends. He couldn't leave it at that. Mozzie would sell the Degas and Keller would pay for it.

WCWCWCWCWC

Raquel arranged another meeting with Neal to recover the amulet. She believed it was contained within what appeared to be a paperweight. The meeting went well, until Keller appeared. He got around the FBI and had Neal alone once Raquel left.

Keller pointed a gun at him. "You're not looking so healthy these days," he said mocking Neal.

"What do you want?" Neal asked eyeing the gun.

"Come on Neal, I want the treasure." He replied as if it were obvious.

"You are misinformed. The treasure exploded. I don't have the treasure, it's gone." Neal said without emotion.

"You can lie to the FBI and even to your bitch, but we both know you have it."

"Then you know more about it than I do..." Neal started calculating his chances of disarming Keller. Hopefully the FBI wouldn't be long. But it wasn't like Neal had anything to lose.

"Stop acting, Caffrey."

Suddenly, Neal decided to jump Keller. The gun fell from Keller's hand and Neal picked it up. He wasn't expecting Keller to fight back, and he certainly didn't expect that he'd go for his weak spot. Keller elbowed Neal's stomach, causing him to fall squirming in pain. Keller regained the gun and, as if to reaffirm his dominance over the situation, he fired into the ceiling.

"You've never been a fighter, Caffrey." Keller scoffed.

"FBI, open up" They heard somebody call.

"They took their time!" he sneered, "Oh, the amulet." He placed the piece on the table before leaving. "Consolation prize."

Neal tried to compose himself while Peter called his name from outside. His stomach was a very sensitive place and the slightest touch caused Neal great discomfort. He pocketed the amulet and walked to the door. Peter entered and Neal informed him that Keller had been there. The agents searched everything, but there was no sign of him.

Raquel was eventually captured. During the interrogation, she confessed she'd returned to kill Keller, because she'd heard there was a reward of six million dollars for his head. This told Peter and Neal that someone out there wanted Keller even more than the FBI did.

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**I don't like to beg anything. Okay, who I think I fooled. Yes I'm beg to you, please review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for all the reviews. (E obrigada ****também ****pelos comentários em português.) kkk**

**I always like to remember that I never would have posted that story without Bonker4Reid. (Thanks)**

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Phillip Kramer was many things. He was a very experienced agent, chief of DC Art Crimes. He was Peter's mentor at Quantico. He was also the help that Peter had asked for in his new case, or rather old case, but with new clues.

Neal met Agent Kramer on a Monday morning when he entered the twenty-first floor. Kramer was standing in front of Neal's desk with his bust of Socrates in his hands. They stood there talking until Peter joined them and invited them into the conference room to discuss their case. Neal didn't like the expression on their faces. He struggled to come up with a good reason for Kramer being there.

Peter called the group to attention and began the meeting. A missing piece had reappeared in New York. The painting was a Degas, named _Entrance of the Masked Dancers. _It was completed in 1884 and had been missing since 1941. Some believed that the Germans had stolen it during World War Two.

Peter's gaze was locked on Neal the entire meeting. He and Kramer asked for his opinion on everything. Could they think this piece was in the U-boat? No, if they were doing all this it was because they were sure, after all they had the Manifest. It was impossible for it to be the real artifact; it had to be a forgery. Neal knew that Peter considered him his prime suspect and he was tired of it.

After the meeting Neal went to the bathroom and injected the drug into his arm. Now he had resorted to keeping a dose on him at all times. It was the only way he could keep working. Neal considered it a victory he hadn't vomited his breakfast yet.

The day passed, but Peter never came to talk with him, so at five o'clock Neal went straight home. Sara would be there and she would certainly talk to him. He entered his apartment, and to his surprise, he found Sara and Mozzie both.

"Oh, hi!" Sara said smiling.

"Hello," Neal said tiredly. He went straight to the couch.

"Neal, are you feeling okay?" She asked, coming up beside him.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm feeling a little nauseous, but I'm sure it will pass."

"What has the Suit done this time?" Mozzie said irritably.

"Nothing that he hasn't done before, Moz." Neal said trying to calm him. "He still thinks I stole the treasure."

"This is nothing new." Mozzie replied.

"No, it isn't. But now he believes he's found a Degas from the U-boat. "

"Really? Do you think he's right?" Sara inquired, not noticing Mozzie's bewildered reaction.

"I don't think so. Maybe that _Entrance of the Masked Dancers_was on the U-boat, because the last time it was seen was 1941. The theory is that the painting was stolen by the Nazis, but I think this one is a forgery." Neal said.

"You have to talk to him, Neal. He'll believe you." Sara tried to intervene.

"I've tried, more than once." Neal defended himself. "And more than once he's said he doesn't want to talk to me. He always claims that it isn't a good time. "

"Why don't you lie down for a bit, okay?" Sara stroked Neal's hair. "I'll call you for dinner."

"I don't want to sleep." Neal protested. "I'm too angry right now to sleep."

"Then why don't you paint?" Mozzie took the chance. "You always say that painting calms your nerves. You could do your own _Entrance of the Masked Dancers_!"

"I don't know ..." Neal responded doubtfully.

"Great idea, Mozzie!" Sara agreed. "Neal, you can paint it for me!"

Neal stared between Mozzie and Sara. "Okay I guess it could be a good idea."

Mozzie let out a sigh of relief. He had to talk to Rusty, the guy who sold the painting. He probably wouldn't want to talk with him, but Mozzie was sure that with some money he would speak out quickly. Who would've imagined that with as many pieces of this treasure he had to choose from, he'd had to pick one of the few from the Manifest.

The buyer of the Degas probably wouldn't want to return it, but Mozzie had an idea about what he could do. He would switch out the original painting with Neal's forgery. He just hoped it was not too difficult to enter the premises without being seen.

The next day Peter and Kramer asked for Neal's help in the conference room. They showed Neal the files of two men that were possible intermediaries of the Degas. They asked Neal for his professional opinion on which middleman he'd use to sell the Degas. Neal examined the two files. Neal had known one of them, Rusty, for a few years. Neal knew he'd have local contacts. He told the agents to go for Rusty.

Neal was with Peter where his team said that Rusty would be. He was there, but when he saw the FBI he ran. It came down to Neal and Peter having to split up to chase him. Peter wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he agreed nonetheless. Neal stopped Rusty near the park's exit. The chase took every last ounce of his energy.

Peter soon caught up to arrest him. Neal found Rusty's cell phone nearby so he handed it over to Peter. Later Peter informed Neal that they'd recovered recent contacts from the phone. Peter and Diana were disguised as arms dealers with a proposal for Elliot Richmond, the arms dealer who they believed to be the Degas' buyer.

Neal was assigned to stay in the van with Kramer. He was never happy in the surveillance van, but being in there with Kramer somehow made it ten times worse. Kramer watched Neal like a hawk. The Art Crimes agent seemed even more suspicious of him than Peter was! And Peter was certainly hard to beat. Their relations only went from bad to worse during the operation to recover the painting.

Neal opened the door of Elliot's building for Diana and Peter stopped him. He glared at him with a look of disappointment.

"I thought you respected me a little more, Neal." Peter said.

"I respect you, Peter." Neal replied, not comprehending the problem. "Why are you saying that?"

"Because of this," He reached into Neal's suit and removed the syringe from his pocket. "You know I don't like it."

"Peter... I..." Neal knew that now was not the time to discuss it. They were close to apprehending Elliot and Peter didn't have time, but Neal could no longer bear being accused of things he didn't do.

"Not now, Neal." It was the same thing Neal heard every time he attempted to explain his situation. Peter grabbed Neal's arm and led him to the security desk.

"I'm Agent Peter Burke." He declared, flashing his badge. "I have a hostile witness on my hands," He nodded toward Neal. "Do you have a storage room or an office that I can borrow while I'm conducting my business upstairs?"

"Yes sir, right over there. I'll show you." Neal looked at Peter incredulously when the guard took them to a small room containing one chair.

"Oh, come on, Peter. You cannot lock me in here!" Neal was cut off by Peter slamming the door in his face.

Neal had no choice but to sit there and wait. He sat in the chair as the minutes crawled by with nothing to occupy his mind from the boredom and discomfort. After about twenty minutes, Neal was no longer able to remain sitting in the chair. He went and huddled in the corner of the room, where he could wrap his legs around himself, protecting his stomach.

Neal was feeling sick and his body trembled with the pain. He curled up with his head between his knees so as not to vomit. Peter had taken his medicine from him and Neal would have to endure it until he could go home. When Peter finally reappeared, Neal breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the door opening. He was so weak that he couldn't raise his head.

"Come on, Neal," Peter said with a firm voice. Neal didn't move, but he let out a quiet moan. "No games, Caffrey, we're done here."

Neal couldn't take it anymore. He lifted his head only to turn to the side to throw up everything he had in his stomach. He opened his eyes enough to realize that fortunately he hadn't vomited blood. Neal felt a hand rubbing his back. He knew it was Peter, but he couldn't lift his head.

"Neal? What do you have? Do you need me to call an ambulance?" Peter asked frantically.

"No!" Neal finally managed to get up. He was visibly shaking and it didn't escape Peter's notice. "I don't need an ambulance. I just want to get out of here." Neal replied brusquely, rejecting Peter's help.

"Damn it, Neal. I'm worried about you." Peter anxiously countered.

"Worried about me?" Neal almost laughed. "You wouldn't take two seconds to hear me out any of the times I tried talking to you and today you locked me in here without letting me explain!" Neal started screaming now, he was tired and in pain. His anger gave him the energy to get even louder, "What should I do Peter? What can I do for you so you'll believe me when I say that I didn't steal the treasure and that I'm not a junkie?!"

"Neal..." Peter began, but Neal was already making his way towards Diana's car.

They reached the Bureau and went straight to the conference room where Kramer was waiting for them. Neal was still shaking, but he followed Peter. Kramer examined the painting and declared it a forgery. He let Neal have a look. Neal almost fell over when he saw it. A pain started up in his stomach that had nothing to do with his illness. He could have sworn it was the painting he'd done for Sara the other night.

Seeing Peter's defeated expression, Neal approached. "I'm sorry Peter. I know how much you wanted it."

"Neal..." Peter started.

"Can we talk about all this now?" Neal pleaded.

"Neal, now is not the moment..."

"Then when is the moment, Peter? Because it seems like it's never the right moment for you!" Neal accused.

"Tell you what," Peter said calmly. "Go home and rest, tomorrow we'll talk."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Peter insisted.

"Okay."

"You need a ride?" Peter offered.

"No, I'll call Sara." Neal replied.

He called Sara and fifteen minutes later she arrived to pick him up. Peter waited until Neal was gone before he called Diana.

"Yes, boss?" Diana began, entering the office.

"Please send this to the lab." He said handing her the syringe that he'd taken from Neal. "I want to know what's in it."

"Do you still think that Neal is abusing drugs?" She asked seriously.

"I took it from him today, but he seemed very sincere when he said he was not doing drugs, then I ..."

"You have doubts." Diana ended the sentence for him.

"Neal is a con man, but he was shaking today…"

"It's okay, I got it, boss." She said leaving the room.

All Peter wanted was to go home to Elizabeth, but it seemed like he would have to spend more time finishing things up at work before that could happen.

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**That chapter is longer than others. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to let me a review. ';'**


	14. Chapter 14

**I know this isn't the chapter you expect most, but still is a good chapter. (I think, at least). :)**

**Obrigada to Bonkers4Reid. kkkk**

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When Neal and Sara got home, he insisted that she should return to work. He invited her to come back after work was over to spend the night. Sara didn't want to leave him alone, but Neal persuaded her to finish out her workday.

Sara helped Neal with his medicine then left his apartment. Neal sat on the couch thinking. The last four months passing through his head. He sat there for several minutes before he noticed sounds coming from the kitchen. He was shocked that he'd overlooked Mozzie's presence.

"How was work?" Mozzie asked as he entered the living room area with a glass of wine. "Did you find the Degas?" Mozzie asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, we got the painting."

"And?" Mozzie persisted.

"It was a forgery."

"So you were right after all!"

"I don't know. I'm not certain about anything anymore." Neal pretended to be introspective.

"What do you mean by that?" Mozzie asked, not comprehending.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't recognize my own painting?

"Neal..." Mozzie couldn't pretend anymore, and Neal knew this.

"When were you planning to tell me that you stole the treasure, Moz?" He asked.

Mozzie couldn't determine if Neal was angry or not. "I was going to tell you when the right moment comes."

"When the right moment comes?" Neal repeated in disbelief. "You've already had every single day for almost five months to tell me!"

"Just as you've had exactly the same amount of time to speak with the Suit and you didn't do it!" Mozzie knew this was no excuse, but he had to try.

"That's different, Mozzie. Peter refused to listen to me, but what would make you think that I wouldn't hear you out?" Neal was standing now, "You're aware that Peter suspects me. You knew I was struggling with that, and even then you told me nothing!"

"I thought that... that you would tell Peter." Mozzie defends himself, ashamed.

"You didn't even give me the chance!" Neal's tone had softened. "You used me, Moz. Not only did you not tell me anything, you also tricked me into being an accomplice! Painting those pictures for you!"

"It was necessary, otherwise Peter would have found proof that the treasure hadn't burned."

"If your plan was so perfect, why did Peter suspect me?"

"Neal, I never sold your paintings." Mozzie confessed looking in his eyes. Neal stared back, not understanding what Mozzie meant. "I put them on the U-boat."

"What?" Neal reacted heatedly.

"It was necessary for them to find the remains of canvas and paint, but one of the paintings didn't burn completely." Mozzie explained.

"Let me guess, the painting of the Chrysler building?"

"Yeah." Mozzie said simply.

"So you had me to paint it again because you wanted Peter to see it here." Neal ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Congratulations, Moz. You conned a conman… More than once!"

"I stole it for you." Mozzie reacted desperately.

"Unbelievable!" Neal was yelling now. "First you stole the treasure, then you decide to keep it a secret from me, and now you're using me as an excuse?!"

"You know that you need the money…"

"I know. But you're using that as an excuse, Moz. It's been months, and still you haven't sold anything to buy the medicine."

"It was too dangerous, Neal." Mozzie justified himself. "You know the Suit has the Manifest, I didn't want to sell one on the list. Selling the Degas was a mistake, but I didn't find the Manifest when I broke into the Suit's house..."

"What? You broke into Peter's house? When?"

"The night they came to dinner here." Mozzie explained timidly.

Neal remembered that Mozzie had been the one who'd suggested inviting Peter and Elizabeth to dinner. He'd planned it all! Neal shook his head in disbelief. "Now I understand why Peter distrusts me so much."

"Oh, now he is the good guy?" Mozzie taunted. "He's constantly accusing you of stealing it and won't let you get a word in edgewise."

"Wow, it's so nice of you to remember that little detail." Neal said mockingly. "But you had me incriminating evidence. Peter had good reason to suspect me, even though I haven't stolen a thing!"

The room was silent as Neal caught his breath. God, he was angry with Mozzie at that moment, and usually stress made his condition worse. Instead of being in pain, Neal was surprised to realize that his pain was practically nonexistent. The adrenaline coursing through him right then made Neal think more clearly and caused him to realize something else. "The Degas! What was the price of the painting?"

"What's it matter now?" Mozzie countered. "I had to spend a part to pay Rusty in order to switch out the paintings."

"How much, Mozzie?" Neal insisted.

"Six million." Mozzie replied.

"You put the price on Keller's head!" It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Keller had killed Hale, and Mozzie had sold a painting worth six million dollars, which was the exact price that would be paid to anyone who killed Keller.

"He..." Mozzie wasn't sure what to say, Neal's reaction had scared him.

"I know what he did!" Neal cut Mozzie off. "And still you claim that you stole the treasure to help me." Neal couldn't look at Mozzie anymore.

"But I did!" Mozzie was desperate.

"Stop saying that. You didn't steal it for me. You don't care about my welfare; you only want to buy the meds so you won't be alone!" Neal pointed at Mozzie while he yelled. The shorter man stared back at him liked he'd been electrocuted. "I trusted you and you stabbed me in the back!" Neal's eyes were like ice.

"Neal, please..."

"I have to tell to Peter."

"What? Please, don't..."

"Give it up, Mozzie. This is over!" Neal said firmly. "Where is the treasure?"

"Neal..."

"The address, Moz." Neal didn't have any patience for Mozzie's arguments.

"77850, Gansevoort Street, unit A," Mozzie almost whispered. "Neal, you do realize I'm going to be arrested for this, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know." Neal's voice was cruel. "You committed a crime, and you're going to have to pay the price for it, just like I did." Neal laughed weakly, without humor. He pulled a jacket on.

"Why are you laughing?" Mozzie asked.

"The death of an enemy seems to be more important to you than the life of a friend..." He replied as he walked out the door, leaving Mozzie not knowing what to do.

Neal was furious with Mozzie, but they'd been friends for too long and Neal never wanted to see Mozzie go to jail. However, Mozzie's actions were wrong, and he deserved to pay for them. Neal would have the entire trip to Peter's house to decide what he'd do about Mozzie.

Neal hailed a cab. He sat in the back seat going over in his mind every single thing that Mozzie had done to preserve the treasure's secret existence. Neal knew that Peter had promised to talk with him the next day, but he thought it best to take the initiative and come clean today.

When Neal arrived at the Burkes' house, he was surprised at the number of cars parked outside. Neal stopped short at the front door, taking in the chaotic scene.

There were various items scattered around the house and it looked like a crime scene with multiple agents filling the room. Neal soon noticed Peter amongst all the commotion. He seemed stunned as he looked around him. Diana said something to him that Neal couldn't hear.

"Peter?" Neal called.

Peter turned to face him. "He took... my wife."

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**Now I need to know if you liked or not. Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**It's Thursday, so here is more one chapter!**

**Bonkers4Reid, thanks for help me and for put up with me. :)**

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Neal just stood there in shock, unsure what to say. He barely comprehended Jones' question, "Do we know what Keller wants?" He couldn't detach his concentration from the desperate look in Peter's eyes. He could never have imagined this. He was sure that Keller had kidnapped El to get something that until a few hours ago Neal hadn't even known still existed; it could be the only reason. The only coherent thought in Neal's mind was, "What did you do, Mozzie?"

"Neal." Peter's voice snapped him back into reality. Neal could feel the eyes of everyone in the room staring at him like he was a freak of nature. He followed Peter out the back door. He was completely caught off guard when Peter shoved him hard against the wall, pinning him down with both hands. "You have the treasure!"

"Peter I can explain..." Neal attempted.

"You son of a bitch! I don't care. You have it. Keller knows. You're gonna give it to him, so that I can get my wife back."

"Yes, whatever you need." Neal said apprehensively. Peter dropped him when the phone in his pocket started ringing. Neal realized it wasn't Peter's phone; Keller must have given him one.

"It's him." Peter said, turning away from Neal.

Peter answered the phone and spoke with Keller. Then he asked to speak with El, and Keller must have acquiesced because soon Peter took a deep breath and said "Hi, hon."

Neal needed to sit. His mind was racing so he couldn't focus on Peter's phone call. The Burkes were like siblings to Neal, and this was his fault just as much as it was Mozzie's. If he hadn't had a need for the money, maybe Mozzie wouldn't have committed this idiotic crime.

Neal was squatting up against the wall, but he stood up when, after hanging up the phone, Peter went to check Satchmo. The dog had bitten one of the kidnapers, so Peter had Jones take a sample of the blood for a DNA test.

Neal watched things from a distance, not wanting to intrude. Peter approached him with eyes full of hatred. "Where is the treasure?"

Neal inhaled deeply before taking a writing pad from the desk. He wrote down the address and gave it to Peter.

"I want go there right now." Peter said pointing at Neal.

"I don't have a key." Neal said. Mozzie was the only one with a key, but Neal doubted that he'd give it to him, judging by the confrontation they'd just had. Obviously Neal knew how to pick the lock easily, but he suspected Mozzie had probably booby-trapped the storeroom.

"Neal..."

"Really, Peter. I never would lie and put Elizabeth's life at risk. I'll get the key and come back, okay?" He said, turning away.

"Neal." Peter stopped him. "Ask someone else to bring it. Ask Sara or Mozzie to bring it instead of you."

"Mozzie and I kinda had a falling out." He spoke without thinking. He wasn't ready for Peter to know the full situation.

"What about?"

Neal wasn't prepared for that question. He didn't want Mozzie to be arrested, but still wanted his friend to be held accountable for his actions. Neal couldn't think of a way to respond... except... "He was mad because I didn't tell him about the treasure until today." Neal lied through his teeth, unable to meet Peter's eyes.

"What? I can't believe you did this." Peter looked disgusted. "You didn't tell your best friend that you had stolen a billion dollars of artwork? I thought you two didn't keep any secrets from each other. "

"I thought that too." Neal muttered. He wasn't sure if Peter heard.

"You want to keep it all for yourself, don't you?"

"Peter, it isn't like that, I..."

"I said I don't care about this right now. If you don't want it to be Mozzie, then I suggest you call Sara. I bet she doesn't know a thing about it, because knowing her, I don't think she'd stay with you if she knew the truth."

"You're right. She doesn't know. I'll try talking to Mozzie, but I don't know if he'll listen to me.

"I don't care who's going to bring it, just get it here! I can't even look at you right now." He said gruffly. Peter walked away rubbing his temples.

"Okay." Neal whispered going out.

Neal couldn't believe how quickly his entire life had imploded. Mozzie had stolen the treasure after all and they'd had a falling out. Now a ruthless killer had kidnapped Elizabeth and the ransom was to be the treasure. In order to protect Mozzie, Neal had told Peter that he alone had stolen it. Peter would probably never trust Neal again. He just hoped that Mozzie would be willing to help, at least for Elizabeth's sake.

Neal got in a cab and called Mozzie. He picked up on the second ring.

"Don't run." Neal said before Mozzie could say anything.

"You want me to stay here for them to arrest me?" Mozzie was incredulous.

"I need that you take the key for the warehouse to Peter's house. It's important."

"You want me to go to a fed's house so it'll be easier to arrest me?"

"No one will arrest you, Moz. Trust me, you have no reason to not believe me." Neal said flatly.

"I see you're still mad."

"I don't want talk about it right now, Moz." Neal cut him off. "This is very important. When you get there you'll understand!"

"I don't know, Neal..."

"You owe me, Moz."

There were a few seconds of silence before Mozzie responded. "Okay."

Neal hung up the phone without saying goodbye. He wasn't in the mood to talk, the stress of the day had finally caught up with him and he needed medicine.

He trusted Mozzie. Mozzie was the only person he thought would never betray him and now he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to trust him again. Peter thought he had stolen the treasure and would never forgive him for that. He didn't know if Elizabeth would stay angry with him because of all this. If she did, Neal couldn't blame her for it. That is, if she made it out of this alive.

Neal forced himself to shake those thoughts out of his head. He would make sure that Elizabeth returned home safely. He couldn't officially confess and be arrested in someone else's shoes for a crime he didn't commit unless he was sure she was okay.

Neal couldn't get over the irony of the situation. There were so many crimes he'd committed in his life that he hadn't been convicted for, but unless something changed soon, he would be arrested for a crime he hadn't committed. He didn't want to spend his last days in prison, but he would do that for a friend, even a friend who was pissed off at him because that is what friends do.

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**So, like usual: Please review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Wow, chapter 16. In my defense I don't thought this story would take so long.**

**Bonker4Reid, I love you. kkkk**

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Sara entered Neal's apartment, but it was empty. Neal had promised he would meet her downstairs when his conversation with Mozzie had ended, but he hadn't appeared. The expression on Mozzie's face as he left, coupled with the fact that he didn't say anything to the women, caught Sara's attention. Whatever it was about, they'd certainly had a serious talk.

She went to the bathroom. There's nothing like a hot bath to take away the stress of the day. She was very concerned. Neal looked pretty bad when she'd picked him up at the Bureau. He had looked thoughtful during the car ride, but he'd held trembling hands around his belly. She would have stayed with him, but at his insistence she agreed to only help him with his medication and then leave.

Sara heard a noise coming from the apartment, so she finished her shower early. She quickly got dressed and went to the kitchen drying her hair with a towel.

"Neal," She called. "Where did you go? I thought you would meet me downstairs with June." Since there was no answer, she went to the bedroom and was startled by what she saw.

Neal was lying unconscious next to the bed. Sara let the towel fall and ran over to him. He was very pale and the fact that his skin was felt cold frightened Sara.

"Neal! Neal, please, wake up." She pleaded, gently slapping his face. "Come on, Neal."

Neal slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up. He was clearly in pain; Sara could determine that just by looking at his eyes.

"What... what happened?" His voice was weak and he seemed confused.

"You tell me. I just found you on the floor." She said helping him to sit. "Should I take you to a doctor?"

"No, I'm okay." He tried to make his voice sound firm but it faltered.

"Neal, please, you have to tell me what's wrong so I can try to help you." Sara insisted.

"Hurts... a lot." He replied, allowing himself to grimace in pain.

"Okay, come on, I'll help you get on the bed." She pulled him up by his arms. She did not want to risk agitating his stomach. He sat on the edge of the bed as Sara straightened his pillow and blankets. She went to the drawer and grabbed the medicine.

"That's not working anymore" He said in a choked voice. "It just makes the pain bearable."

"When did you notice this?" Even Sara's stomach began to hurt when Neal said that. It definitely wasn't a good sign.

"A few days ago, but today was worse." He admitted. Sara knew it was worse… He had never passed out before.

"You really should sleep, Neal." She said after injecting the medication. She hoped that it would be potent enough that he could sleep.

She finished dressing in her pajamas, and then lay down beside Neal. His eyes were closed. The cold sweat that covered his forehead was no longer visible, but Sara's instinct told her that he was still in pain.

"Peter hates me," Neal broke his silence. "He hates me and he'll never trust me again."

"No, Neal..." Sara was taken by surprise.

"Yeah, he does. I could see it in his eyes. And the worst part is that I can't blame him. "

"Why are you saying that, Neal?" Sara asked, running her hand through his hair.

"I told him that I stole the treasure." Neal admitted.

"You what? Why would you say something like that?" Sara was totally stunned. Rather than telling Peter about his illness, Neal had lied to Peter and worsened the situation.

"Because Mozzie did it."

"Are you serious?"

"I found out today. The painting we recovered was a forgery." He explained, opening his eyes to find Sara's green eyes staring back. "It was my painting, Sara, the one I did for you."

"So, Mozzie..." She started, attempting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Mozzie switched out the original for my painting." Neal elaborated. "I realized it was mine, so I confronted him about it."

"And he confirmed that?" Sara was in shock.

"He said he stole the treasure for me, Sara. He had the nerve to use me as an excuse." Neal responded, his voice full of anger.

"Neal, please, calm down. Your pain will only get worse." Sara coaxed.

"I know, you're right." He said before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes once again.

"Now, about Mozzie… maybe he really did steal it for you." Sara tried to keep Neal's thoughts positive.

"He didn't tell me anything until I figured it out for myself."

"Maybe he just didn't know how to tell you."

Neal sat up and held his face in his hands. Sara sat up next to him in concern."Do you think you're going to be sick?"

"No. It's not that. Sara, I..." He didn't know how to tell her without sounding selfish. "I was angry with him because he sold the Degas and was going to use the money to put a hit out on Keller. I just wish he'd actually had the initiative to buy the medicine. I had... I had to tell Peter." He apologized for not using the money, "I could have taken advantage of the opportunity. I could have used the money to buy it myself." He hadn't thought about Sara when he'd made the decision to accept the blame. He hadn't considered how she would suffer when he'd decided against using the money to cure himself. He might not have had to leave her alone, that is, if the drug worked.

"It's okay, Neal. I understand you." She tried to calm him down. "Now, tell me, why did you tell Peter that you stole the treasure instead of Mozzie?" She asked.

"Mozzie is my best friend, Sara. And as much as I think his actions were wrong, I don't believe he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison for it."

"And you deserve that? You'd take the blame for him?"

"For him it would be years; for me it would be just a few weeks."

"Neal, don't do that." Sara begged, caressing his face and gently turning his head to face her. "Don't take responsibility for something you didn't do."

"Elizabeth was kidnapped and Peter forced me to talk about the treasure, but I couldn't condemn Mozzie."

"What? Elizabeth was kidnapped?"

"Sorry. I forgot I hadn't told you. Keller abducted El and he wants the treasure for ransom."

"Oh, Neal, I'm so sorry." Sara wished she could take Neal's place at that moment, to absolve the pain and the guilt he was feeling. She also wanted to punch Mozzie and Peter for causing this.

"It's all my fault, Sara." Neal said as tears began to trickle from his eyes. "If I wasn't sick and in need of the money, maybe all this wouldn't have happened."

"Please, Neal, you can't blame yourself. Stealing the treasure was entirely Mozzie's decision. No one asks to be sick and you cannot take responsibility for the mistakes of others. The only ones to blame are Mozzie and Keller. "

"I know, but..."

"No 'but's. Now lie down, I don't want you to get worse. We don't need you passing out again." She admonished, making him lie back down on the bed. "I'm here for you, okay? Relax, this isn't your fault." She kissed him softly.

Sara nestled up against Neal with her arms wrapped around him. When he finally fell asleep, Sara realized how fragile and vulnerable he looked. Once Elizabeth was back home safe and sound… she had to be, didn't she?... Sara made up her mind that she would talk to Peter.

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**So, before you be mad with me, let I say one thing: The next chapter will talk about the Peter and Mozzie. Please review.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Like always, a little message for Bonkers4Reid: I couldn't have better beta than you.**

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Mozzie didn't know what Neal had told the Suit, but upon entering his house it was clear that the agent didn't intend to arrest him. There were other agents in the kitchen, but Peter's demeanor caught Mozzie's attention. He was sitting alone on the couch holding a picture of him and Elizabeth. Another signal that something was amiss was the state of the house. The pictures on the walls were crooked and things were out of place.

"Hey, Suit," Mozzie made his presence known. "What happened here?"

"Neal didn't tell you?" Peter asked without looking up from his wife's picture.

"Neal and I aren't exactly on speaking terms with each other at the moment." Mozzie hoped that was explanation enough.

"But you came anyway. Why?" Peter reluctantly set the picture down on the table and turned to Mozzie. "Neal hurt you, and yet, you're still doing favors for him."

"Neal didn't..." Mozzie began. Neal had his reasons to stay angry with him.

"You can tell me the truth, Mozzie. I feel hurt by everything that's happened. I imagine that you probably hate him right now."

"I don't hate him." Mozzie disagreed. "Just out of curiosity, what exactly did Neal tell you?"

"Everything." Peter said running his hand through his hair. "He admitted he stole the treasure and he also mentioned that he didn't tell you anything until today."

"He told you that?" Mozzie asked in a tone too low. That's why Neal was so sure that Peter wouldn't arrest him. Mozzie couldn't believe that after all he'd done Neal still had sacrificed himself for him. "But you didn't answer my question. What happened here?" Mozzie tried to change the subject.

"Keller kidnapped... my wife." Peter stammered.

"What? Mrs. Suit?" Mozzie was stunned. "Why?"

"He's demanding the treasure as her ransom."

"I'm so sorry Peter." Mozzie felt a lump in his throat. This was entirely his fault.

"This is all Neal's fault. He caused it, but once this all ends he will pay for it." Peter vowed.

"What do you mean by that?" Mozzie wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"He will spend a lot time in the jail for this." Peter said angrily.

"That's what you want?" Mozzie asked incredulously. "Neal is your friend."

"Neal committed a crime, and his mistakes dragged my wife into this. His actions put her in danger."

Mozzie was speechless. Neal didn't deserve to take the blame, but Mozzie was afraid to tell Peter the truth. The Suit was angry with his own friend, so his reaction to Mozzie would be even less merciful. Everything the agent said to condemn Neal was actually directed at Mozzie.

"He sold the Degas and got away with it, even though it was on the list."

"What list?" Mozzie played dumb. If Neal had claimed that Mozzie hadn't known about the treasure, he also wouldn't have known about the list.

"That damn Manifest." Peter threw it on the table. Mozzie picked it up and had a good look at it. "That is a list of twenty-two of the paintings aboard the U-boat."

Mozzie had searched for this list for months. Now that it was finally in his hands it was worthless. Their only hope of saving Neal had gone awry. Peter must have been so desperate to let off steam that he'd shared it with Mozzie without thinking. He looked over it thoroughly, just in case.

"Give me the key, Mozzie. I want to go there now." Peter commanded.

"I'll go with you." Mozzie replied.

"I don't need you to do that." Peter declined.

"But I want to." Mozzie insisted, and Peter eventually went along with it. Mozzie decided Peter wasn't emotionally stable enough to be left alone at the moment.

WCWCWCWCWC

Sara woke up less than an hour after falling asleep. She ran her hand across the bed, but she didn't feel Neal beside her.

"Neal!" Sara called, getting up and walking to the bathroom. Neal had probably felt sick and didn't want to wake her.

She approached the bathroom, but it was empty. She returned to the kitchen and was about to descend the stairs to see if he was at June's when she noticed a piece of paper on the table. Getting closer, she was able to read a few words in Neal's handwriting.

_Sorry. I couldn't stay here doing nothing._

Sara didn't know what to do. Neal had been feeling awful, but he'd still felt compelled to help Peter and Elizabeth. She was proud of Neal for wanting to help, but she was worried about him. She didn't want him to get any worse. Sara knew Keller was dangerous and evil, and Neal was so ill that she was worried sick.

If that was what he wanted to do, Sara would support him, but she wanted to keep an eye on him in case he needed something.

WCWCWCWCWC

Peter entered the warehouse, followed closely by Mozzie. He'd always speculated that the treasure hadn't burned, but he still couldn't believe it even when he saw it with his own eyes. The entire treasure was there, intact. God, he didn't know if he could ever look at Neal again without feeling terribly betrayed.

"Here it is... All the treasure." Mozzie said cautiously.

"I still don't believe this is real." Peter whispered in awe.

"What are you gonna do now?"

"I'll give to Keller so I can get my wife back."

"You can't do that!" Mozzie said quickly.

"Mozzie..."Peter didn't want to hear any arguments.

"I mean it, Suit. If you give Keller the treasure, he won't have a reason to keep Elizabeth alive."

"I don't know..."

"He's right…" Neal's voice echoed through the warehouse. Both men turned towards the door.

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked angrily. "I thought I told you that I didn't want you involved."

"Look, Peter, I know that I made a huge mistake," The words were directed towards Peter, but Neal's eyes never left Mozzie's face. "I'd give anything for you to trust me again. I'm here to remedy my mistakes. I want to help you find El."

"I don't know if can trust you again. Honestly, I don't think so." Peter said coldly.

"Okay, but at least let me help to get El back safe and sound. Don't get rid of me so soon." Peter's words had hurt him, but he managed to maintain his poise; his voice was stronger than it had been earlier.

"No, you've already caused enough trouble, don't you think?"

"Come on Peter. I know Keller better than anyone. Mozzie is right. You need a plan to get El back, and you can't deny that you need me."

Peter remained silent for a while. He'd do anything for his wife. "Fine, but this doesn't mean that I'm forgiving you."

"I know. Thank you for allowing me to help." Neal replied, his voice louder now that he'd regained some confidence. "Now we need a plan."

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**Every time that you send me a review, I have more pleasure in write. Please review.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Well, after some problems with my external drive, I will can post that chapter (Thanks God). :)**

**Bonkers4Reid: Like I said yesterday, don't worry, I still love you. kkkkk**

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"Okay, Keller said I have twelve hours to get him the treasure." Peter informed. "Now that we have the treasure, we need to come up with a way to trick him."

"We need to fool him, but he can't realize it until it's too late. Otherwise Elizabeth will be in danger because he'll have no incentive to keep up his end of the bargain." Neal said.

"I have an idea! We should move the treasure somewhere else, a place where other things are stored." Peter suggested. "We could tell Keller that we have no control over the situation... convince him that we need his help to get around the third party."

Mozzie piped up, "We could have the police involved, investigating other things in the warehouse."

"I know the perfect place... A warehouse full of containers." Neal proposed, "We'd put the treasure in one and anonymously tip off the police that there is contraband in another. With an actual police presence Keller would believe us when we tell him we can't get to it."

While Mozzie executed that part of their plan, Neal and Peter headed to the office. One of the Keller's demands was that Peter was not to inform the FBI, but Diana and Jones were at work checking the blood found on Satchmo and they were also on the lookout for anyone who showed up at hospitals and pharmacies with a dog bite.

The blood's DNA test results came back, revealing that Keller had an accomplice. Leonard Grant. Examining Grant's criminal record brought some relief to Peter, as he'd never committed murder. But further reading revealed that he was a violent man who had been involved in multiple kidnappings.

Neal was outside waiting. He didn't want to be too close to Peter at the moment. He thought it strange that his pain had not yet ceased. He hadn't told Sara where he was, he'd only left a note for her while she was asleep. He decided to call her, but there was no answer, as the phone went straight to voicemail. Peter removed Neal's anklet before they returned to the warehouse.

The plan went as expected. Soon after they'd loaded the Nazi treasure into container ten, the police arrived. Hidden, they watched as two men, set up by Mozzie, were arrested.

When Keller arrived, it was obvious that Peter was having difficulty restraining his anger. Neal couldn't tell if Keller believed them or not when they said they had nothing to do with the police being there. Keller wanted the three of them to help him steal back the art, using Elizabeth's safety as leverage.

They formulated a new plan, one involving military equipment and uniforms. Peter and Mozzie would drive a truck inside the warehouse, claiming to have imperative instructions to unload container number ten. Once inside the depot, Keller and Neal, who'd be hidden inside the truck, would wait until the police officers took their lunch break then transfer the treasure to the truck. Unfortunately, the plan did not go exactly as they planned. The police simply had a shift change; there'd been no lunch hour. Neal and Keller had to resort to impersonating police. With that they managed to get all the boxes and pass them to the truck "legally".

WCWCWCWCWC

Diana had a ton of work to do. She and Jones had narrowed down the area where El could be. She and several other agents were searching buildings within that area. Even though it was a busy day, she took half an hour to pick up Christie at the end of her shift. She wouldn't be able to drive herself after more than 48 hours without sleep.

Diana picked up the lab results of the test of Neal's drug that Peter had requested. She decided not to open it; she'd leave it up to Peter.

"Hi baby." Diana greeted when Christie got into the car.

"Hi." It was all Christie said before closing her eyes and propping her head back against the passenger seat's headrest. Clearly she was exhausted. "How's work? Anything interesting?"

"Do not remind me. Elizabeth Burke was kidnapped."

"What?" Christie exclaimed, her eyes snapping open. "Poor thing. How is Peter?"

"Devastated, he's a complete wreck. And the worst part is that it's all Neal's fault." Diana explained, her anger becoming apparent.

"What does Neal have to do with it?" Christie asked.

"Neal stole the treasure. Peter has suspected it for a while now. I think he finally knows the truth. He hasn't told me, but I'm sure of it."

"The Nazi treasure?"

"He faked the explosion. Neal stole the treasure and now a man named Keller, an old enemy of Neal's, has kidnapped Mrs. Burke. He wants the treasure in exchange for Elizabeth."

"That makes no sense. Neal did not steal the treasure. "

"How are you so sure?" Diana provoked.

"I can't tell you."

"Christie..." Diana tried again, suspicious.

"I mean it, Di. I can't tell you."

Diana had heard this a few times. It was then that she realized that there were other pieces of the puzzle that she didn't yet hold. Neal had attempted to speak with Peter privately multiple times and he'd always insisted that he was not a drug addict. She realized that Christie might know something else.

"Christie, Peter took a syringe from Neal's pocket. He ordered a lab test to see what was in it." She shook the envelope at Christie. "You know what is written here? This has something to do with why you think it so absurd that Neal stole the treasure?"

"I said I can't say." Christie insisted, "Unless this badge is pointed at me." She said pointing to her girlfriend's FBI badge.

Diana took the cue and pulled the car over. She grabbed her badge and held it up to Christie. "What are these lab results, Christie?"

"Probably a mix of painkillers and medicine for nausea." Christie said.

"Come on, Christie. I've needed painkillers in the past, but pills did the trick. Why would Neal need injections?"

"You've never needed an injectable version. What use are pain pills if you vomit them up before they take effect?"

"And why is this happening to Neal? What's wrong with him?" Diana started to get worried.

"Stomach cancer, and it's incurable."

"Oh, my God!" Diana leaned her head on the steering wheel slightly and closed her eyes. She was shocked, but she forced herself not to cry. "How much time does he have?"

"It is at a very advanced stage now. I don't know how much longer he has, but it is not much time."

"He knew that when the U-boat exploded?"

"Yeah. I think he found out the day before. He came to see me because he'd been feeling ill from the chemicals he'd been forced to drink when he was kidnapped."

"By Vincent Adler." Diana was still trying to absorb the information. "That's why you don't think Neal stole the treasure. He wouldn't have the time to spend the money."

"If he'd bought a certain medication, something that isn't out on the market yet, he'd have about a 35 percent chance of being cured. Since he's not cured, it is safe to assume that he didn't steal the treasure. That medicine I mentioned is extremely expensive to obtain."

"You said there's a 35 percent chance. He may have used it and he's part of the 65 percent that it didn't work for."

"No, if he was among that 65 percent, he'd probably be dead by now. Even if the medicine stops the spread of the cancer it can damage healthy organs. This is obviously one of the main reasons why it isn't prescribed."

Diana swallowed the lump in her throat. Neal was sick – dying – and being accused of a serious crime which he did not commit. "Peter has to know the truth."

"Let Neal tell him." Christie urged.

"Okay." Diana took a deep breath. "Now I've got to take you home. I still have a lot to do today."

WCWCWCWCWCWC

Neal woke up with a terrible headache, almost as strong as his stomachache. The last thing he could remember was loading the treasure onto the truck with Keller. Now he was in a dark place... and the room was moving. Neal was sure it was moving, it wasn't just his addled brain playing tricks on him. It dawned on him that Keller had probably knocked him out. He flicked on his lighter and realized he was in the back of the truck, hidden away in the area where he and Keller had been concealed earlier. He pushed the doors of the secret compartment open with his legs, using his entire body strength to shove them.

The only way Neal had to draw Keller's attention was throwing some of the boxes out of the back of the truck. It worked. Keller stopped the truck and approached its back gate.

"Caffrey!" Neal heard him call. "Come on, Caffrey. I know you're in there. There's no way out, buddy."

Keller fired a shot into the truck. Neal had picked up an ancient shield to protect himself and the bullet ricocheted off of it. Neal flung the shield at Keller just after the shot. It hit him in the face and knocked the gun out of his hands. Neal jumped out of the back of the truck holding another shield.

"You and me... To the bitter end, eh?" Keller provoked as he picked up a Napoleonic baton, another piece from the treasure.

He struck out with his weapon several times, but Neal defended himself very well with the shield. He probably had his fencing background to thank for that. Neal had gotten in a few hits to Keller's face using the shield. He'd even thrown a few punches.

Once he'd lost his cane, Keller looked at one of the paintings on the ground.

Neal begged, "Not a Raphael. You wouldn't."

Keller simply shrugged his arms in response. He grabbed the painting and used it to knock Neal over the head, bloodying him and knocking him to the ground.

Keller took advantage of Neal being on the ground and retrieved his baton. "First rule of a fight... Always go for the weak spot." Saying that, Keller struck Neal in the stomach. Neal was paralyzed with pain and fear, lying on the ground awaiting the next blow, but it never came.

For quite a while Neal was oblivious to everything around him. The pain blinded him. Eventually he realized that Peter had come to his aid. He heard them talking about Elizabeth. Had Peter managed to find her? Neal couldn't comprehend the words.

When he was finally lucid enough, Neal noticed that Keller was attempting to kill Peter with a dagger. In his desperation Neal glanced to the side and adrenaline gave him strength to crawl to the discarded gun.

Aiming at a moving target without hitting Peter was nearly impossible, especially in the state he was in, but somehow he did it. Neal had fired the gun and the bullet buried itself in Keller's left leg. Neal stood up, trembling, and sat down on the truck's tailgate. Soon the police and FBI arrived and paramedics took Keller away. Amid all the confusion, Neal tried, and failed, to find Peter.

All Neal wanted was to go home and lie down. The pain caused him to be unable to think straight; he'd barely registered it when a Junior FBI agent put his anklet back on. Once the agent left, Neal staggered away and headed in the direction his apartment, or at least he thought it was the right direction. It was going to be a long walk.

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**I know that have people which will be mad with me for finish the chapter like this, but smile because Saturday have more. :) (Oh, even mad, please, leave me a review.)**


	19. Chapter 19

**I told that Saturday would come soon. :)**

**Is not all the people who can handle my crazyness but you, Bonker4Reid, not only handle with it as you support it, so thank you for that. kkk**

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Sara was very worried. Neal hadn't returned any of her calls. Earlier her phone's battery had died without her realizing. She called him again, but again he didn't answer. Over several hours Sara had left numerous voicemails saying things like, "call me back when you get this message," and "I want to hear your voice so I know you're okay," and leaving another one wouldn't change anything because Sara knew that Neal hadn't listened to any of the others.

Sara had a feeling of foreboding; it was late and she hadn't heard from Neal since the night before. He would never have left her without even a phone call for so long, especially considering the situation and his condition. Obviously she had been out of reach when her phone had been dead, but she was sure Neal probably would have returned home by dark.

This probably meant that Elizabeth still hadn't been found, but that didn't change the fact that Neal needed rest. He had been ill the night before, but he hadn't slept. And as far as Sara knew, Neal still hadn't slept, and nothing good could come of that. She wanted to call Peter or Mozzie, because one of the two would usually know where he was, but she knew that the two weren't exactly chummy with Neal at present.

Sara had only one option, even though she normally wouldn't involve a third party. She just wanted that person to be a little more understanding of the situation and her concern for Neal.

WCWCWCWCWC

Diana was sitting at the Burkes' dinner table with Elizabeth when Peter and Mozzie arrived. She was filled with satisfaction when she saw the husband and wife kissing and hugging upon their reunion. Happy endings like this always made her hard work worth it.

About five minutes after all the initial commotion, Peter pulled El to the couch. Mozzie was greeting her saying how happy he was that she was back home unharmed, at least that's what Diana thought she heard.

Diana's cell phone rang, revealing a number she didn't recognize. She excused herself and went to the kitchen to answer it.

"Berrigan." She stated.

"Diana, it's Sara," Neal's girlfriend greeted the agent. "Sorry, I know you're probably busy looking for Elizabeth, but I've been trying to get ahold of Neal and he hasn't been answering my calls."

"Sara, I'm with Peter and Elizabeth. She escaped from her captors and made it home without a scratch." Diana explained.

"Oh!" Sara was blindsided. If El had been found, where was Neal? "That's good. I'm so relieved! I've been worried sick about her since I found out."

"But that still doesn't explain where Neal is… Actually, I just realized that I haven't seen him all day!" Diana replied.

"Yeah, I'm worried about him." Diana heard Sara sigh. "Sorry, I should have called Peter or Mozzie."

"Peter and Mozzie are here, but Neal isn't with them." Diana explained.

This phone call only made Sara more concerned. It was almost dusk, El had been found, and Peter and Mozzie were with Diana, but Neal was missing! Now Sara was certain that something was wrong. She knew that at the very least Neal would have called to inform her of Elizabeth's safe return.

"Tell you what, I'll look and if I find him I'll call you. Is that alright? "Diana proposed.

"Sounds good. Oh, Diana!" Sara caught her attention before Diana hung up. "I hope you don't think I'm some clingy girlfriend who demands to know her boyfriend's whereabouts every second of every day. I have my reasons to be worried."

"I know. Christie told me about… his condition." Diana said ruefully. "I'll find him for you."

"Thank you." It was the last thing Diana heard Sara say before hanging up.

Diana couldn't imagine being in Sara's shoes. She knew that if was Christie, she'd be beside herself with worry. Diana was determined to find Neal and she just hoped he was well.

"I hate to interrupt the moment, but have you seen Neal recently, boss?" Diana asked, approaching Peter and Elizabeth.

"No, we got separated earlier. I don't know where he is." Peter replied thoughtfully.

"I know that the two of you weren't seeing eye to eye, but I thought you were with him today." Diana said. Elizabeth looked at Peter with a questioning expression.

"Look, Neal did a lot of things that I don't agree with, but today he helped get El home and he saved my life, but I really don't know where he is. When I found them, he and Keller were fighting." Peter explained. "Neal was on the ground and I tried to help, but Keller had a dagger. Neal shot Keller and saved me. After that I had to deal with the red tape of it all. Honestly I was more concerned with getting back to Elizabeth. I did look for him, but Neal wasn't around anymore. "

"After everything that's happened, I'm surprised you didn't go looking for him" Diana was confused, Peter thought that Neal had stolen the treasure and he had simply let him go.

"An agent said he put the anklet back on him before he left. I didn't think it necessary to go follow him because he's on his tracking anklet and within his radius. He isn't too hard to find." Peter explained. "And like I said, I just wanted to get home as soon as possible. Neal is an adult; he knows how to take care of himself. I figured he'd just gone home. "

"Sara called me saying that he hadn't arrived yet. He hasn't even called her today." Diana said taking her computer and looking up Neal's location. She reviewed his movements since the anklet had been turned back on during the afternoon. It indicated that he hadn't actually gone too far from where Peter had found him and Keller. He hadn't moved from his current location in almost two hours. Diana grabbed her car keys and headed towards the door.

"Where is he?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.

"I'm going to find out. I'll call you guys when I find him, don't worry." Diana thought it hard to say since she was worried about him herself.

It took Diana about twenty minutes to get to where the computer said Neal was. It was very dark and she couldn't see anything from inside the car. She got out and walked down the street searching every entry she saw. She was about to give up when she heard a soft noise nearby. She went in search of the source of constant noise and found Neal on the ground. He was lying on his side, arms limply wrapped around his torso.

"Neal?! Neal, wake up!" Diana knelt beside him and gently shook him by the shoulders. There was vomit on the ground near him. He hadn't opened his eyes or responded to her, but Diana realized that the sounds that had attracted her attention were Neal's moans.

"Neal, please, talk to me. It's Diana." She urged, but the moans hadn't ceased and he still hadn't opened his eyes.

Neal gave no sign that he was cognizant. She struggled to pull him up into a sitting position while holding his back. This seemed to revive him slightly, as his face transformed into a grimace of pain.

"Neal, hold on, I'll call an ambulance." She retrieved her phone and was about to dial 911, but Neal turned to the side and threw up again. Diana was terrified at the sight of the bloody vomit and decided against waiting for an ambulance. "No ambulance, I'll get you to the hospital myself."

The ambulance would take too long; Diana was sure she could get him to a hospital quicker. She gently lowered Neal back onto his side and went to park her car closer. She called Peter and told him to meet her at Lenox Hill Hospital. She returned to Neal, hoisting him by his arms and attempting to keep him on his feet.

"Sa...ra." He muttered deliriously.

"I'm not Sara." Diana said patiently. "It's me, Diana."

"Call... Sa...ra." Neal was able to communicate a complete thought.

"I will, now I need your help to get you into the car." She said.

Neal tried, but couldn't keep himself upright alone. If Diana hadn't been supporting him, he would have fallen on his face. When they reached the car she guided him into the front seat. She wanted to keep an eye on him the whole way.

"Neal… Neal, I need you to stay awake, okay?" She knew he wouldn't, but it didn't hurt to try. "I think you have a head injury. You may even have a concussion." Neal didn't respond outside of his whimpering moans.

The trip to the hospital seemed to drag on longer than it should have. Neal opened his eyes once or twice, but soon closed them again. Diana hoped this was all due to the concussion. Obviously a head injury was serious, but she would feel better if she knew that Neal was writhing in pain over some treatable injury. It scared her to see him like this, knowing now about his cancer and the prognosis.

Diana parked in front of the hospital. She had called Christie on the way, explaining the situation. She left Neal in the car and went up to the reception desk.

"I need help," She told the receptionist, attempting to control her shaky voice. "My friend is in the car, I need help to bring him inside."

"Calm down lady," The receptionist replied, "There are people waiting in front of you. Wait a few minutes and I'll see what I can do. "

"I can't wait... _He _can't wait!" Seeing that the woman remained seated, Diana had no choice but to take out her FBI badge. "If you can't get anyone to help me, I'll arrest you for neglect."

Witnessing the scene, another nurse approached and told Diana she would help. The nurse pushed a wheelchair outside behind Diana. When she opened the passenger door Neal had his eyes closed, but he was conscious.

"Neal, we'll help you get into the wheelchair, okay? We're at the hospital." Diana said, lightly rubbing his face on the side that wasn't coated in blood. "Oh, I called Christie, she will be here soon."

"Hur..ts." Neal said with all the strength he had.

"I know. Just a little more, and then you will get help." Neal nodded, while the nurse helped him to the chair, grabbing his arms.

Neal took a step and hesitated. The nurse was caught off guard and caught him before he fell. Neal screamed in pain when the nurse wrapped her arms around his middle.

"Sorry, sorry." The nurse said, placing him in the chair. She lifted his shirt, revealing a huge hematoma. His body was in various shades of purple. "I take him from here," she said when they reached the waiting room.

WCWCWCWCWC

Peter and Elizabeth were sitting in the waiting room. They'd left home minutes after receiving Diana's call. She hadn't explained what had happened, hadn't elaborated on why a trip to a hospital at night was necessary. Elizabeth had tightened her grip on Peter's hand when they heard Diana's voice. The Burkes witnessed her exchange with the receptionist. The girl seemed very calm in contrast to Diana who'd used her badge to threaten her.

Minutes later, a nurse accompanied Diana back inside the building, pushing Neal in a wheelchair. He looked horrible even from a distance. Diana headed straight for her boss when she saw him.

"What happened?" Peter asked Diana.

"I don't know. I found him unconscious on a sidewalk." Diana decided not to reveal the truth about his condition. "He has a head injury and his abdomen is just one big hematoma. It looks horrible, all purple." She shuddered at the thought. Diana watched as Elizabeth covered her mouth with her free hand, Mrs. Burke probably blamed herself for this. "I called Christie and she's on her way. I'm going to call Sara now," She said turning away.

Diana was placed in a horrible position. She had the complicated assignment of informing a woman that her boyfriend was in a very bad state and that he was in a hospital. Diana was worried that Neal wouldn't walk out of the building alive.

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**Uhm, so you are excited to the next chapter? So, you can spend the waiting time sending me a review :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**I hope everyone like. Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Bonkers4Reid, Thank you, because even with a chaotic life you have time to be my Beta. :)**

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Sara came to the hospital looking for Diana. She hadn't explained what had happened, as she'd only told her to meet her at the hospital. Sara imagined the worst scenarios and she wanted to see Neal as soon as possible. She recognized the three figures seated in the waiting room. El was holding Peter's hand and Diana was talking to them.

"Diana?" Sara called, causing Diana to turn to look at her. "Where is he?"

"Sara!" Diana seemed relieved to see her. "He's inside, I called Christie and now she's here with him. She decided to run some more tests."

"The first doctor who attended to him said his concussion wasn't serious, but he would have to stay under observation. Christie will have a definite answer when the tests are done, but she didn't think he'd had any internal bleeding." Peter tried to reassure her.

"He is here due to a concussion?" Sara asked, surprised.

"Yes," Peter answered and Sara couldn't hide the smile on her face. "Why are you smiling?"

"Oh! Please don't think I'm callous, it's not that, I'm just relieved that he isn't here for something more serious." Sara said quickly. "What happened to him?"

"He and Keller had a pretty violent fight," Peter explained. "Neal shot Keller and we arrested him, but before that Keller had given Neal a concussion and he'd hit him in the stomach… His entire abdomen is black and blue."

"What?" Sara asked, trying to control her voice. It seemed that all the air had been sucked out the room. Her initial feeling of relief had now subsided. Peter still didn't know the truth about Neal; therefore he would think nothing of an injury to his belly.

"Neal has a concussion and a hematoma in the stomach region." Peter explained. "Keller hit him with a baton... from the Nazi treasure."

"Oh, my God!" Sara wanted to scream. Keller knew, Sara didn't know how, but he knew.

Peter noticed that Sara was very nervous. He didn't want her to worry, as he was sure Neal would be just fine. Neal had saved his life that day, and he'd been there to help save Elizabeth. Sure, Neal had been the reason she had been kidnapped, but his actions in the aftermath had made a huge difference. No matter what, he was still his friend.

"I'll get you some water." Sara nodded and he walked away in search of the water cooler. It took only two minutes, but when Peter returned, Sara was gone. "Where is she?" He asked Elizabeth.

"She's in Christie's office," his wife replied, "Christie asked to speak with her in private."

"What are they talking about?" Peter asked, completely taken aback by the supposed severity of the situation. When the first doctor had spoken to them, it seemed that Neal's injuries were not of great significance.

"I don't know, but I bet we'll find out soon." El replied. "Christie asked for you to meet her in her office too."

"Okay," Peter replied absently, his thoughts racing a million miles a minute.

Elizabeth caught his attention by stroking his arm, "Go."

Peter was still completely clueless as to the reason behind all of the commotion. He couldn't comprehend why everyone was making a fuss over a concussion. He entered the room and instantly wished he hadn't, as he saw that Sara was sobbing. What the hell was wrong with Neal? The first doctor had said he would be fine, but Christie had run more tests, and now Sara was crying.

"Agent Burke, Sara, I think I better let the two of you talk, alone." Christie said with a sad smile before walking out of the room.

"What's going on?" Peter asked Sara. Her eyes were red and she was sniffling, but she wasn't crying as she had before.

"Why didn't you listen to him, Peter?" Her tears started to roll again and her voice rose, "Why have you refused to hear him out?"

"What did Christie say? Is there something seriously wrong with Neal? "Peter started to get nervous. He didn't handle crying women very well, and knowing that she was shedding tears over Neal only worsened his discomfort.

"He's dying… that's what Christie said!" Sara sat covering her face with her hands.

"Dying? How? What?" Peter asked, stunned, uncomprehending.

"He has cancer." Sara finally said it. She couldn't wait anymore to tell Peter; it had already gone on too far.

"What?" It felt like the floor disappeared under his feet. Never in a million years could Peter have expected this information.

Sara forgot her rage for a moment. Peter had mistreated Neal and had caused him loads of stress over the past several months, but now that he had knowledge of Neal's illness, Sara could see that he was shaken.

"Sit down," She said quietly, pulling a chair for him. He collapsed in the chair without saying anything. Her words reverberated in his skull.

"He knew about this?" Peter asked when he recovered his voice.

Sara chuckled slightly. "Yes! He's known for almost five months now."

"Five months?" Peter asked, dumbfounded. "Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he tell me?"

"He tried, on multiple occasions, but you wouldn't listen to him!" Sara reproached him. "You accused him of stealing the treasure and being a drug addict, and you would not allow him to confide in you. Why is it so hard for you to trust him?"

"He's a con man." Peter defended himself.

"But he's your friend." Sara replied. "You should have given him the benefit of the doubt."

"Benefit of the doubt?!" Peter was incredulous. "Okay, I admit I messed up, I thought he was a junkie and yeah, maybe I shut him out and didn't let him explain himself, but I wasn't wrong in not trusting him."

"For God's sake, Peter." Sara was screaming now, "What other evidence do you need to convince you that Neal has changed?"

"He confessed, Sara." Peter said it with all of his hatred for Neal resurging, "He confessed to stealing the treasure, and as sick as he is, I can't just forgive him of that."

"Neal didn't steal the treasure." It wasn't Sara who had spoken. Mozzie was standing in the doorway.

Peter eyed him questioningly. "What do you mean? You knew he stole it. That's the reason you two weren't talking."

"No, Peter. It's Neal who wasn't talking to me. He didn't steal the treasure, I did."

"It was you? No! Neal confessed ..." Peter was bewildered; it was like everything that he believed in had turned out to be lies.

"Neal lied. Actually, I think that was the only lie he told you during all this. I stole it, and Neal found it out yesterday. When he figured it out, he went to your house to tell you. I really don't know why Neal took the blame for it." Mozzie said, sensing that Peter's wrath was now being directed at him.

"I know why," Sara broke her silence, as she hadn't uttered a word since Mozzie had entered the room. "He didn't want you to be arrested. He said you'd spend years behind bars, and he was willing to take such a sentence, as his cancer is terminal and he would only spend weeks, months, if lucky, in jail."

"I don't believe it." Peter's was over the initial shock, and he was yelling now. "You stole the treasure, hid it from Neal, and you were willing to let him take the blame for it?!"

Mozzie raised his arms in attempted mollification, "I know that everything I did was wrong, and that even if I tell the truth, Neal will never forgive me. I accept that."

"I can't believe what I did to him, how I accused him of a crime that he didn't commit. When he was sick, attempting to tell me, but I was too stubborn to listen!" Peter seemed to be unhinged, muttering to himself. Suddenly he snapped back to reality, angrily demanding answers from Mozzie, "Why? Why are you just now admitting to it all? Is it because I finally know the truth? Are you really that heartless, Mozzie?"

"Because I can't… I can't let him ... let him take the blame for this when ... " Mozzie couldn't express his guilt in words. He wouldn't allow his best friend to spend his final days locked up in a jail cell for him.

"Before he dies you mean?" Peter retorted, not caring how harshly the words came across. "Neal is strong and young. Surely he'll respond well to the treatment. He has to be okay. He won't die, he _can't_ die. This is Neal Caffrey we're talking about!"

"Peter?" Sara caught his attention.

"What?" He said, not bothering to hide the tears that rolled down his face. It was Sara's tone, a tone of absolute desperation in her voice that told him that he was wrong.

"There's no cure. His cancer is terminal." Sara said gently. Peter closed his eyes as she spoke. "Christie told me that the best thing for him is to stay here. He doesn't have much time left, Peter."

"No..." Peter's voice broke and he began to cry, leaning forward and holding his face in his hands. It just couldn't be true.

Sara once again disregarded her previous hatred of the agent. She approached Peter and squeezed his shoulder.

"Suit," Mozzie said drawing his attention. "I want to make a formal confession."

"You really want to do that?" Sara asked in surprise.

"Unfortunately, it's the only way." Mozzie said.

"Come to the office tomorrow. We're not going there tonight, I want to see Neal. You should do the same." Peter said.

"No. He won't want to see me. "

"I really think you should." Peter insisted.

"Don't worry; I'll come to the FBI building tomorrow. I will do this for Neal." Mozzie said before leaving the room.

"I can't believe it. Neal is dying and I've been distant and suspicious of him for months." Peter said to Sara when Mozzie left. "It's all my fault."

"Don't judge yourself too harshly, Peter." He looked at her in surprise and she raised her hands defensively. "Don't give me that look. I'd be the first one to blame you and rub it in your face if this was your fault, but it's not!"

"Thank you for your honesty," Peter chuckled slightly. "But yes, I am guilty… If I had just listened to him ..."

"He still wouldn't be cured."

"But I wouldn't have accused him of being a junkie nor would I have allowed him to get close to Keller." Peter replied.

"Peter, I'm not here to comfort you. I just want you to know that in my opinion you made a mistake by not hearing him out. Now that you know the whole truth, please be there for Neal, I know that he will need you."

"He'll never forgive me."

"Yes he will! Believe me when I say that he will." Sara turned when she heard a knock at the door.

Christie opened the door, "If you want to go see him, I just want to let you know that Neal is awake."

"Yes I do, thank you." Sara replied.

Peter's phone rang. "Go," He told Sara, "I'll answer this call and then I'll explain everything to El. We'll meet you in Neal's room later."

"Okay," She replied, following Christie.

The women stopped outside the door to Neal's hospital room.

"He is on a strong medication, so he may be a little off." Christie warned.

"Is that just for right now? Or will he always have to be on these meds?" Sara asked hoarsely.

"I don't think so." Christie reassured her. "He's in pain right now due to the blow that Keller delivered, but he shouldn't need this medicine for more than a few days."

"Then why did you say that he has to stay here?" Sara asked fearfully.

"Well, it's the best thing for him, Sara. I know that Neal would probably choose to go home, but his medicine isn't working anymore. We can help make him comfortable and pain free here."

"Okay, I guess you're right."

"You can go in now, and if you need anything, please ask." Christie smiled sadly at Sara before leaving.

Sara entered the room cautiously. Neal's eyes were closed and he seemed very relaxed. Sara felt tears sting her eyes again when she saw him there, so calm. Knowing that he would be stuck in this hospital... to the end, it hurt her a lot. It could have been worse though, he could have ended up in prison for Mozzie.

She sat beside him and gently stroked his hair. Neal looked at her and gave a weak, but genuine smile that broke Sara's heart.

"Sorry." She said quietly. "I didn't want to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping." His voice was raspy. "These drugs are too strong, they're making me tired." He said, closing his eyes again.

"Should I ask them to reduce the dosage?" Sara asked.

"No," He opened his eyes and smiled again, "I'm not complaining about that. Actually, this is the best medicine that I've ever had."

"It makes me happy to know that you aren't in pain. Neal, you should rest." She said when she saw him struggling to keep his eyes open.

"No. I want to stay awake with you. "

"Sleep." She instructed him, taking his hand. "I'm not leaving your side." Neal didn't argue, because less than a minute later he was asleep.

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**Come on, you only will spend a few time to review, please I need to know what you think about it.**


	21. Chapter 21

**This is Bonkers4Reid… Ca Staub's beta… And this is what I'd like to call a "Beta's Note"**

**I just wanted to start out by saying that I read each and every one of your reviews and savor them just as much as our lovely writer does. Some of you may not know this… Ca Staub is Brazilian and she writes in Portuguese. My job is to fix the problems created by the online translator and to reform the story into an easy-to-read English format.**

**It is 100% my fault that the updates on this story have gotten behind. Ca Staub likes to post new chapters every Saturday, Monday, and Thursday. I've recently taken on a lot of extra shifts at work (like three times the amount of hours I used to put in!) And I am also a full time student; so unfortunately, most of my writing right now is in the form of essays. Every time I get behind I want to kick myself for keeping both our awesome author and of course you amazing subscribers waiting!**

**I just wanted to apologize personally, so if you are mad at Ca Staub for the slow updates, please forward your flaming darts to me! I am the one to blame.**

**Now onto the amazing Chapter 21!**

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Peter hadn't told Hughes about Neal when the older agent had called, as he thought it best to tell him in person when he returned to the Bureau the next day. The truth was that Peter still couldn't comprehend it all himself.

He couldn't believe the things that Sara and Mozzie had told him. It wasn't that he wanted his friend to be guilty, and in fact, under other circumstances, he would have been very happy, but he couldn't get over how he'd turned his back on his friend when he'd needed him most.

The guilt he felt was overwhelming. He could never express in words the exact emotion he'd felt when Sara had finally told him the truth about Neal. And when Mozzie had admitted that he, not Neal, had stolen the treasure he had felt as if he couldn't breathe. He didn't think Neal would ever forgive him, even though Sara tried to assure him he would. Peter wouldn't blame Neal if he couldn't forgive him, especially since he thought he'd never be able to forgive himself.

When he hung up the phone he went to the waiting room and met up with Diana and El. Diana looked at him sadly. He was pretty sure she knew. She was holding an envelope in her hand.

"Are you okay, boss?" She asked worriedly.

"No, and I don't think anything will ever be okay again." Despite the words he tried to sound calm. "What's that?" He pointed at the envelope.

"These are the results of the test you requested." Peter had forgotten completely about that. The crushing blame and guilt hit him full on again when Diana handed over the envelope.

"No." He said refusing it, "You can throw that out, I already know what it is."

"Okay." Diana said.

"You know?" He asked simply.

"Christie told me a few hours ago." Diana admitted.

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

"I'm heading home. Please call me if you need anything."

"Thank you Diana." Peter said watching her go.

"Peter, what's going on?" Elizabeth insisted, "You both seem to speak in code. Where is Sara?"

"She's with Neal." Peter said, sitting down beside his wife.

Elizabeth watched Peter, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn't, so she lightly touched his arm. "Hon, what happened? What did Christie say? "

"Neal is sick and there's no cure." Peter said without looking at her.

"God! That's why he's been looking so thin lately? "Elizabeth asked sadly.

"I guess." Peter's voice sounded muffled. He could no longer hold back the tears and El came closer to him. "He'll never forgive me."

"Oh, Peter." El hated seeing her husband like this.

"I didn't believe him, El. I didn't listen when he wanted to talk to me." Peter wept as spoke. "I was stubborn and now he's going to die."

"No, Peter." El replied with deep concern, "He won't die."

"He will, El. He has cancer and he doesn't have much time left."

Elizabeth let out a quiet gasp before covering her mouth with her hand.

She loved Neal and she couldn't believe this was happening. El hugged her husband, tears streaming down her face. "Go see him, hon. You need to stay with him." She remained in Peter's embrace for several minutes. "I'm going home to put Sachtmo out and get some sleep, I'm exhausted. I also have to clean all the mess."

"I don't want you to go home alone." Peter feared for her after what had happened.

"It's okay hon, Keller and his accomplice have been arrested." Elizabeth tried to calm him.

"Still, I'll be more comfortable if someone accompanied you home, just for tonight." Peter said, taking out his phone.

"Okay." She let her husband call Diana. He was already feeling guilty about Neal and she didn't want to add more worry to his list.

Peter called Diana and discovered that she was still in the hospital talking to Christie. She returned and agreed to escort Elizabeth to their home. Once the women had left, Peter asked the receptionist where to find Neal's room. One of the nurses directed him there.

Neal was asleep when Peter came in. Sara was at his side stroking his hair. Peter stood in the doorway for a moment. Neal was very skinny and Peter cursed himself for not having noticed the signs before. But now, wearing a hospital gown rather than his usual suit, it was obvious that his friend had lost a lot of weight.

"Sorry, Peter." Sara said when she saw him. "He could barely keep his eyes open so I told him to sleep."

"It's okay, I'll stay here." Peter said pulling a chair and sitting on the other side of the Neal's bed.

Peter and Sara sat there silently for hours until dawn. Sara decided to get a coffee, but Peter stayed with Neal, just listening to him breathing. Peter watched as Neal opened his eyes sleepily. He turned to his partner and smiled.

"Hey, Peter." His voice was a very low tone, but firm.

"Good morning, Neal." Peter almost couldn't say the words. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"A little." Neal responded after thinking for a while. "My head hurts a little, but not like my stomach." Neal admitted.

"Your stomach hurts like yesterday?" Peter asked.

"No." Neal replied. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"If you're asking about Diana bringing me here, yes I remember that." Neal said.

"Good." Peter said.

"What about Elizabeth? Is she okay?" Neal asked.

"She is safe and sound; made it home without a scratch." Neal breathed a sigh of relief to hear that. "She managed to fool Grant into thinking that the dog bite was infected. Diana and Jones tracked him down when he went to a pharmacy. During the time that he left her alone, El escaped by cutting a window with her ring and busting the glass with a chair."

"You have a very smart wife, Agent Burke." Neal said, smiling again.

"I know that." Peter replied, speaking in a jovial tone, but he quickly became serious again. "Neal, I'm sorry. I know you probably will never forgive me for suspecting you… It was all my fault. "

"It's all right, Peter." Neal insisted.

"No, it isn't! I accused you of so many things." Peter said with tears in his eyes.

"It's okay, Peter. Everyone makes mistakes. I'm not mad at you." Neal said in the same tone as before, "Speaking of mistakes, when will you send me back?"

"Back?" Peter was confused.

"To jail," Neal explained, his tone was bitter when he said the last word.

"Neal, I know the truth." Peter said.

"I figured that." Neal said wearily. "I imagine that Christie doesn't want me to leave here, am I right?"

"Yes," Peter said simply.

"So, when will you send me to the prison infirmary?"

"Neal, when I said that I knew everything, I mean I know everything." Peter said clearly. "I know about your illness and the real truth about the treasure. Mozzie told me everything. "

"What?" Neal seemed to suddenly become more awake, and he attempted to sit up in bed, only to regret it when the pain in his stomach pulled him back down. "Why would he do that?" Neal breathed heavily, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

"Are you in pain?" Peter asked fearfully.

Neal only nodded in response, closing his eyes tightly.

Peter took the initiative and pressed the call button. A nurse arrived, followed closely by Sara.

"What happened?" The nurse asked.

"He's in pain." Peter said.

"All right. I can give you something for that."

"No, I don't want it." Neal said. "I want to stay awake."

"You can." The woman reassured him, "It will only take away the pain."

Neal didn't fight anymore and let the nurse inject something into his IV. She wrote on his chart and left. Sara put her coffee cup on the table next to Neal and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Feeling better?" She asked fondly.

"Why did he do that?" Neal ignored his girlfriend; he had to get to the bottom of this. Sara looked at Peter questioningly, not understanding until Neal continued. "Why did Mozzie confess?"

"Oh, Neal!" Sara understood now.

"Please, Peter." Neal pleaded. "Don't send him to jail. Please!" Neal was almost crying.

"Neal, once he officially confesses, I can't do anything." Peter would normally tell him to cowboy up, but he couldn't do that now.

"So? Don't let him confess!" Neal pleaded desperately.

"It's the only way… If he doesn't confess, the blame falls on you, meaning you'd be arrested."

"I don't care." Neal literally had tears in his eyes. "He... he didn't mean it. He does stupid things, but it's not for spite. Mozzie doesn't deserve to spend years in jail for this."

Sara tried to calm Neal down and he put his head on the pillow again. A knock at the door drew everyone's attention.

"Hey Neal," Diana greeted, entering the room. "How are you?"

"Better." Neal tried to control his voice. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"Anytime." Diana said with a smile and turned to face Peter. "Boss, can I speak with you for a minute?"

Peter and Diana left the room and Sara remained in the same place. The pair was quiet until Elizabeth entered the room minutes later, after greeting her husband and Diana in the hall. She smiled broadly when she saw that Neal was awake.

"Neal!" She addressed him warmly, approaching the other side of Neal's bed and taking his hand in hers.

"El! I'm glad you're okay." Neal said returning her smile.

"Oh, dear." El said, "You are one of the reasons I'm here right now. I think I owe you my life. Thank you."

"I didn't do any more than anyone else. As I understand it, you escaped on your own. By the way, good job in fooling Grant!" He said winking at her.

She blushed slightly. "Thank you." Even sick in a hospital bed, Neal Caffrey had his charm.

Elizabeth stifled a yawn and Neal smiled. "Tired?"

"Sorry about that. I just couldn't fall asleep last night. Actually, I doubt anyone slept." Elizabeth looked at Sara and imagined that she and Peter hadn't caught a wink sitting up in chairs. "Well, all but you, I bet." She said pointedly to Neal.

"I slept very well." Neal said with a smile.

"With all the medication they gave to you, I would have been shocked if you had been able to stay awake!" Sara said smiling.

"Well, I'm going to get a coffee, if you don't mind." Elizabeth said.

"Go ahead." Neal replied.

"So, are you relaxed now?" Sara asked once El had left.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Neal looked embarrassed. "I just can't accept the idea of Mozzie going to prison."

"He'll do it for you."

"He shouldn't have to." Neal said firmly.

"Come on Neal. You can't deny that you were happy to see Peter here when you woke up! Or would have rather been arrested?" Sara responded.

"I don't care."

"But I do!" Neal looked surprised by the change in her tone. "He committed a crime, whatever his motivation. I don't want him arrested, but I'd prefer him over you. You did nothing, you don't deserve it. I don't want to see you in there. I couldn't bear not being able to be at your side when..." She covered her face with her hands when she could no longer hold back the tears.

Neal's thoughts turned fully to Sara. God, how could he be so stupid? He hadn't given a single thought toward her in all this, about how she would suffer. If he were to be arrested, the person who it would affect the most would be Sara.

"Sorry." He said with genuine repentance while he pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Sara said nothing until she stopped crying and he released her. "It's okay, I shouldn't be this way. You need someone who will be strong for you, not breaking down crying all the time!"

"I always want you to be open with me. I don't want you to pretend that you are okay if you aren't."

"Okay." She said giving him a kiss. She took a sip of her coffee. It was still hot, even though it had been sitting on the table for a while.

"I miss coffee; I haven't had any in months." Neal said.

Sara looked at him and a rebellious thought crossed her mind.

"Here." She said offering the nearly-full cup to him.

"What?" he asked surprised. "Sara, you know that coffee will make me sick."

"Yes, but you're in a hospital right now… Unlimited medications… But if you don't want it..." She teased, taking the cup from him.

"No, I want it!" He said with a smile as he grabbed it back from her.

"Then drink it soon as possible, because I feel like I'm smuggling it for you."

He sipped and savored the coffee. The coffee wasn't good, but for Neal it was the best coffee he'd ever tasted.

"Thank you." He said.

"I would say any time, but that won't be repeated." She said kissing him.

"I love you." He said through the kiss, but Sara's reaction wasn't quite as he expected. She pulled back, staring with wide eyes. She was helping him so much and was always there with him, and he could not deny the feeling; he just had to let her know. But her reaction told him that Sara might not have felt the same for him. He suddenly felt like he'd made a huge mistake, so he apologized quickly. "Sorry. Never mind, forget that."

"What...?" Sara almost panicked. She'd always been tough and it was hard for her to show her feelings, but she knew deep down there was another reason why she could not say the words. Sara was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Am I interrupting?" Peter asked.

"No." Sara answered, instantly regretting her response when she thought about how much it could be hurting Neal's feelings.

"Well, I just came here to say that I have to go to the office." Peter said.

"Mozzie is going to confess now?" Neal asked.

"It would be, but there were other things." Peter said, and then tried to explain himself when he saw the expression on Neal's face. "Keller confessed last night."

"For El's kidnapping?"

"No, for stealing the treasure."

Neal looked very confused. After all, why would Keller confess to a crime he hadn't committed?

"He requested the presence of Russian authorities." Peter explained. "Originally, much of the Nazi treasure had been stolen from the Soviet Union, so Keller said he stole back to save it from Vincent Adler..."

"So the Russians see Keller as a hero and rather than trying to kill him..." Neal continued.

"The Russians will help in his defense." Peter finished. "So now Mozzie doesn't need to confess!"

"Peter..." Neal didn't know how to thank him. He knew that the agent wouldn't have been able to let Mozzie walk free if he'd officially confessed.

"Remember, I'm doing this for you, not for him."

"Thank you."

Peter gave a little laugh before he approached the door to leave.

"What?" Neal smiled, watching his partner.

"I don't know what Mozzie dreads more, the FBI or the hospital." He laughed again.

"I think it's the Bureau. He kind of had to overcome his phobia about hospitals when he got shot."

"I wouldn't say that by the way he was shaking when Jones and Diana brought him here earlier."

"Mozzie is here?" Neal's eyes lit up for a moment.

"No..." Peter didn't know how to break the news to him, "He's already gone."

"Ah!" Neal tried to hide his disappointment. He wanted to talk to Mozzie and apologize for what he'd said.

"I have to go. Bye." Peter said before meeting Elizabeth in the doorway. They spoke a few words and he kissed her before leaving.

"Well, I see that things are the same as when I left." She smiled. "Sara, darling you must be tired. Why don't you go home and get some rest then come back. "

"No, I'm fine. I'll stay."

"She's right." Neal agreed.

"I don't want you to be alone."

"He won't be. I'll stay here with him." El promised.

"You don't need to do that, Elizabeth." Neal protested.

"I know that, but I want to." El said with affection. "Besides, I don't know if I'm ready to stay alone at home all day after what happened."

"All right, then." Sara agreed, before kissing Neal. "I'll be back soon." She gave El a look as if to say "if anything happens, call me" and then she left.

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**I will understand if you don't leave any review, but even then I have to ask: Please review. =';'=**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi, I just want say thank you for all the reviews. And say Happy Birthday Matt Bomer!**

**Bonkers4Reid here again… wow, I just wanted give a HUGE thank you to everyone who addressed me in their reviews! You guys make me feel so loved! :)**

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Throughout the following days, Neal became increasingly weaker and had more pain. Convincing him to eat became a task that only Sara could manage. He had difficulty swallowing and he was vomiting quite a bit, sometimes multiple times a day. Sara didn't want to imagine what it would be like to deal with this at home.

The medication lessened his pain and at times when Neal wasn't sick he was normal despite his weakness. The conversation that had been interrupted almost a week ago by Peter had not been resumed, and for Sara it was being treated as a taboo.

Sara's life had entered into a routine. While she was at work she would leave Neal in the care of either Elizabeth or June. She visited the hospital at lunchtime to make sure that Neal was eating. At the end of the day she stopped by the apartment only to take a shower and collect clothes for the next day. She spent every night in the hospital.

Peter had also developed a routine of visiting Neal every evening after work.

The eighth day of Neal's hospitalization was no different. Elizabeth was spending the day with Neal because June was visiting her granddaughter. El had the freedom to create her own hours since she ran her own business. When she was at the hospital, her company was in the capable hands of her assistant, Yvone.

"Hello, darling." Elizabeth greeted, entering the room carrying two cups of coffee. Neal was still asleep, but Sara was awake beside him. "How was he last night?"

"He slept most of the time." Sara replied, "But he's very weak. I really can't imagine how he could have months, as bad as he is getting. "

"You must have faith, Sara." Elizabeth said.

"I really don't know what I can have faith in." Sara said with eyes full of tears. "I feel like it would better for it to be over quickly rather than for him to suffer in pain."

"Sara!" El caught her attention. "Don't say that. At least not here." El motioned to Neal asleep in the hospital bed.

Sara wanted to kick herself. Just because Neal was asleep didn't mean that it was impossible for him to overhear. She couldn't imagine Neal's reaction if he were to wake up to her saying that. She of all people needed to be strong and keep her thoughts to herself for Neal's sake.

"Sorry." Sara said covering her face with her hands.

"Come on, dear. Let's get some air." El said leading her into the hallway.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Sara repeated sobbing. "I can't bear seeing him like that. He is suffering so much ..."

"It's okay, Sara. I completely understand." El tried to reassure her.

"No, it's not okay!" Sara cried louder. "I just said that I wanted him to die. How could I say that? What kind of monster says a thing like that? "

"Sara, stop!" El said holding Sara's shoulders, making her sit on a bench. "You're stressed and desperately need to unwind. Why don't you take a sick day and go home?"

"I can't..." Sara didn't look at Elizabeth.

"Of course you can. Go home, take a bath to relax, ask June's maid for something to eat and get a few hours of sleep, in an actual bed! I'll stay with Neal. "

"I have to go to work." Sara argued.

"Don't worry about work..."

Sara gave a short laugh, recalling a conversation with Neal. "Neal called me a workaholic once." She took a deep breath and wiped her tears as she spoke.

"Don't take it too seriously..." El said sitting beside her.

"No, I'll be the first one to admit that I am!" Sara replied, surprising Elizabeth, "When my mother was in the hospital I could not stay there. I alternated with my father taking care of her when she was at home, but when she was in the hospital, I just couldn't find it within myself to stay there." Sara quickly rubbed her face to prevent a new outpouring of tears. "I left my father with her and went to work. Sometimes I worked at night too, just so that I could distract myself. One day I when I went to visit my mom, I walked in on my father praying aloud. He's not a religious person, so that was what caught my attention. He was asking God to take her, and I was outraged. He never prayed a day in his life, and when he finally did pray and he went and asked for such a thing!? I never understood that, nor have I forgiven him for it. Until today, because now I know what he was going through. But it isn't justified; I shouldn't even be thinking that way."

"I'm sorry, Sara. I didn't know about your mother." El said sadly.

"After my mother died I worked to forget the remorse that I had and still have for not staying with her on her last day. The thing is that being at work always kept me from thinking about other things. And unlike with my mom, now I want to stay. It makes me feel useful in some way and I feel it is important to know exactly how he is doing. If I'm working, I occupy my mind with something, but if I'm at home my thoughts become overwhelming."

"Do you think you are well enough to go to work?"

"Yes, but thanks for your concern" Sara said rising, but she couldn't leave without discussing one other thing with El. But how would she broach such an intimate matter?

"Any problem Sara?" El asked, recognizing the other woman's internal struggle.

"El, when was the first time that you told Peter that you loved him?" She finally asked. Peter was very similar to her in the way that he too had a problem expressing his feelings.

"It was after he told me." El said with a smile.

"He said it first?" Sara was surprised.

"I've mentioned how Peter talks in his sleep? One night he muttered, "I love you," so the next day I told him how I felt."

"I'm an idiot!" Sara said turning around and putting her hands to her face again.

"What? Why?" El was confused.

"Neal said that he loved me, but I said nothing." Sara cried, hating herself.

"Well, don't tell him you love him if you don't feel the same. The worst thing is having to say you're sorry." El said affectionately.

"That's the problem. I feel the same, but I'm having trouble verbalizing the words."

"What do you mean?"

"I know this is going to sound stupid, but over the years I've learned to protect myself… I put walls up and don't share my emotions with just anyone. Right now I feel like if I don't say those words then I'm not acknowledging that the feelings exist. I feel like I won't suffer as much when he's... gone."

"I understand how you're feeling, dear. But if I were you, I'd tell him how you feel."

"Thanks, Elizabeth. I'm going to do it. But now I have to go." She re-entered the room and grabbed her purse. She gave Neal a kiss on the lips, but he didn't stir from his sleep.

Sara felt very guilty for the things she'd thought about and for what she'd told Elizabeth. But El was right; Sara was stressed and needed to relax. She found herself at a stalemate between not wanting to think about anything and wanting to have more clarity in her emotions. The second option frightened her, but she finally gave in and called off work. She called El to let her know that she wouldn't be working, and told her to call if Neal wouldn't eat.

Sara arrived at June's and asked the cook to bring something for her to eat. She went up to the apartment and took a bath. She was so tired that after eating her lunch she passed out in bed, fortunately it gave her little time during which to think.

She was startled when she awoke and saw that it was getting dark. How long had she been asleep? Sara searched for her phone on the nightstand but it wasn't there. Then she remembered that she'd left it in her purse.

She had probably gotten more sleep than she had any of the nights since Neal had been admitted to the hospital. She went through her purse and found her phone. Instead of registering the time, what caught her attention was the notification that she had two new text messages, one from Elizabeth and another from Peter.

Sara read the first message, which was from El.

_Sara, you can come here as soon as you read this message? I know you need rest, but it is important._

She told herself that this was because Neal had refused to eat. Sara started getting dressed and remembered Peter's message. She finished putting her shoes on then read the last message.

_Sara, I need you here at the hospital as soon as possible. It's very serious._

Sara's blood ran cold. Peter would not be asking for her help to get Neal to eat. He had seen Neal deny food several times. Sara looked at the timestamp on the text message. Half past two, a time very atypical for Peter to be visiting the hospital. Something had happened.

Sara grabbed her purse and left without thinking twice. She had a feeling that Peter was waiting for her with bad news. She couldn't stop thinking about anything else except her moments with Neal. It didn't matter that she had never said the words "I love you" aloud. She knew in her heart that the feeling was real… She had never been so sure of anything else in her life.

She parked her car in the hospital parking lot and ran to Neal's room. Peter was standing there in the doorway, looking into the room. Everything seemed normal to Sara when she arrived. Neal was asleep, still hooked various IV's. Elizabeth was at his side, holding his hand.

"Sara, I'm glad you're here." Peter said when she approached.

"I just read your messages now." She said quickly. "What happened?"

"I don't know how to say this without being too direct." Peter sounded uncomfortable and sad at the same time.

"Then be direct, Peter. I just need you to tell me what's wrong." Sara said impatiently.

"Neal went into a coma." Peter said.

"What?" Sara wasn't expecting that.

Peter caught her before she fell. He gently placed her on the same bench she had sat upon earlier.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you like this." Peter said hoarsely. It was clear that he was trying to control the tears. "Christie would have stayed, but she hadn't slept in almost two days, so I didn't want her to wait."

"It's okay." Sara didn't know what else to say. She could only think of Neal lying in that bed. "What did she say?"

"Christie explained that it is common for a terminally ill patient to slip into a coma, but she said she didn't expect it so soon." Peter took a deep breath before continuing, "She said he probably won't wake up anymore."

Sara covered her mouth to hold back a sob. She felt as though her heart was ripping apart. Peter squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Come on, let's go in."

He escorted Sara into the room. "Hon" called Peter and Elizabeth turned, realizing that Sara had arrived. She kissed Neal's forehead and pulled away slightly.

"It's my fault." Sara said as she passed by El.

"What? Why do you say that? "El was shocked.

"For what I said this morning." Sara closed her eyes as her head lowered. "I didn't mean it that way." She said, starting to cry again.

"Oh, I know dear." Elizabeth said pulling her into a hug. "But this wasn't your doing. You can't blame yourself for something that's out of your hands." El kept her arms around her until Sara calmed down.

Sara walked closer to Neal's bed while El joined with her husband. Looking closer Sara noticed a few new things connected to Neal that she couldn't identify. She sat on the edge of the bed and held his hand in hers. She wasn't accustomed to the increased pallor in his face and now she had to get accustomed to the unresponsiveness when she kissed him and the feeling of his hand lying limply in hers.

"I love you." Sara said after giving him a small kiss. It might be too late to say it, but now that she'd finally said it she didn't want to stop. She realized that because of her fear she would never have the opportunity to say it looking into his eyes, getting to watch his reaction and happiness that she wanted. She would never get to see Neal's infectious smile and the twinkle of his beautiful blue eyes again. It broke her heart to realize that she'd never get to hear him say, "I love you too."

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**I hope you like. Please review. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi guys. Thanks for all the reviews. I couldn't update yesterday at night when my beta send me the chapter, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow, so I will warn you that that chapter will be the only one for yesterday and tomorrow. The next one probably I will post just Thursday or Saturday. **

**I wish that I could hug you Bonkers4Reid, but how I can't, feel yourself hugged now. :)**

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Sara didn't want to leave Neal's side. She had stopped going to work altogether and continued spending her nights in the hospital, sleeping on a cot in Neal's hospital room. She couldn't stand being away from Neal for any lengthy period of time. She would just sit there, holding Neal's hand, savoring the feeling of his hand being in hers.

Peter and El could do nothing but watch the young woman sitting next to their unconscious friend. Sometimes Sara read aloud to him or just held a one-sided conversation. But usually she just held his hand, silent as her thoughts were miles away, probably imagining a happier reality.

Days became weeks without any change. Christie would regularly talk to Sara, and one important point that they had discussed was Neal's power of attorney and his wishes. Sara didn't have the answers, so Christie had to look through Neal's records. Sara supposed that either Peter or Mozzie would be listed, but she was shocked to discover that Neal had elected "Sara Ellis" as his power of attorney.

Two weeks into the hospitalization, Christie informed Neal's loved ones that his kidneys were failing. Christie couldn't explain what was happening; when Neal had first arrived, he'd seemed fine, despite his condition. She was absolutely certain that he still had months, not weeks, left.

On the morning that marked three weeks in the hospital, Peter entered Neal's room to find Sara still asleep. The FBI agent had given up on trying to make Sara go home. Peter and his wife couldn't bear to see Neal's deterioration, so he couldn't imagine being in Sara's shoes. She was sleeping in a position that Peter was sure would cause her back to hurt like hell.

"Sara?" Peter attempted to rouse Sara by gently moving her arm.

"Neal?" She muttered, but then realizing her mistake, she blushed and apologized, "Sorry, Peter."

"It's okay," he replied, offering her a cup of coffee. "You should really get some fresh air. You'll get sick if you don't go out sometime."

"I go out." Sara attempted to contradict him.

"Going to the cafeteria is not what I mean by going out."

"I'm fine." Sara asserted.

Peter decided to change the subject, "Is it okay for you to miss this much work? Sterling Bosch doesn't have a problem with you being gone?"

"I have a lot of holidays, sick days, and vacation days that I've never used." She shrugged.

"How? You took a vacation not too long ago to go to Argentina."

"This is a necessary vacation." She smiled at Peter.

"How much time can you take off?" Peter asked suspiciously.

"A lot actually; I don't really have much in the way of family or friends, so I don't take time off very often."

"I'm sorry," Peter didn't really know how to respond. He knew that Sara was very vulnerable and he didn't want her to start crying. "So Sterling Bosch is letting you take off as much time as you need?"

"Well, if I was denied the time off, I would just leave the company." Sara said drinking her coffee.

"Would you really do that?" Peter was impressed. "You'd actually give up your job to be with Neal?"

"I made the mistake of placing a higher priority on working than being at my mother's side when she was dying. I'm not going to do that all over again with Neal!"

Peter and Sara were suddenly interrupted by a continuous beeping sound from one of the machines connected to Neal. Peter pressed the call button, as this was highly unusual. The machines rarely made noises, so Peter guessed that this was a bad sign.

Sara stood up and watched helplessly as two nurses arrived and started working on Neal.

"Page Dr. Adam. Now! "One of the nurses ordered the other one.

Less than two minutes later Christie came running into Neal's room.

"What's happened?" Christie asked.

"His oxygen levels are dropping." The nurse stated.

Christie examined the machines then used her stethoscope to listen to Neal's chest. After what felt like an eternity to Sara, Christie turned to her and took a deep breath.

"Sara, his lungs are starting to fail too." Christie explained very quickly. "We can intubate him for now, but this isn't a permanent solution. It's your decision now. "

Sara didn't know how to respond; she was literally responsible for Neal's life. Sara's vision seemed to cloud over and the small room was suddenly stifling. She stood there bewildered until she was snapped back to reality by the urgent tone in Christie's voice.

"Sara, I know it's hard for you, but I need an answer right now." Sara turned to Peter. He was at her side, looking worried and anxious. "Sara, are we intubating Neal or not!?" Christie asked frantically.

"Don't let him die!" Sara finally said hoarsely; her head was spinning. "Not that way, do whatever you can, I know he will die, but not now like this." She knew that Neal was in a coma, but she couldn't let him suffocate to death.

"All right, Amanda, get ready to intubate." The nurse didn't look very comfortable or maybe she simply sympathized with Neal and didn't like seeing him in that situation.

"I need some air," Sara muttered, escaping the room. Peter followed and found her crying on the bench out in the hallway.

"You did well." Peter absently attempted to comfort her. Damn, he could not think straight with people crying.

The pair sat in silence for several minutes until Christie and Amanda left the room. Christie headed toward where Sara and Peter were sitting.

"We managed to stabilize and intubate him. Sara, I'm sorry I had to be so blunt with you before, but we really didn't have time." Christie apologized. "Look, I really didn't want to talk to you about it now, but I feel that this is an appropriate moment to go into this matter."

"What is it?" Sara was afraid of what she might hear.

"Neal's organs are beginning to fail. It won't be long before he flat-lines. I'm eventually going to need your permission to not attempt resuscitation."

Sara didn't realize she'd lost her balance until she felt Peter's hand on her arm. She knew that Christie was right, but she just wished that she didn't have to be the one to make that decision.

"Christie, could you leave that for another time?" Peter asked.

"Sure." Christie replied, moving away.

"Wait," Sara called. "Okay. Where do I have to sign?"

"I'll bring you the papers. You can go stay with him if you want to." Christie said leaving.

"Go on, I'll get a glass of water for you." Peter told Sara. As he walked to a water cooler he passed by the door to Neal's room. He caught a glimpse of his friend with a tube stuck in his throat.

Peter looked away from Neal and went to find the water cooler. He tried to control his emotions; he couldn't cry now. Sara was stressed and she needed Neal, so in his absence Peter would try his best. The water cooler was out of cups, so he walked to the nurses' station.

The area was vacant, and he was about to leave when he heard someone speaking in a small room next to the nurses' station. He peered into the room and saw that Amanda was on the phone. She seemed very upset.

"He'll find out... He is the FBI! ... You told me that I was helping him... No, I'm not doing it anymore... Really?! You think I'm stupid enough to turn you in? They would pick me up too, and besides, who would I be accusing? ... You seem to be forgetting that I don't know WHO you are! ... You lied to me... I don't care how much you're paying me! ... You said that I would be helping him… I'm not going to give Neal one more drop of poison!"

Peter had heard enough. Neal was dying because he was being poisoned? It made sense though because Christie had no idea why he went into a coma a week after being admitted to the hospital.

Peter entered the room, scaring Amanda.

"Agent Burke?" She said in a shaky voice, dropping the phone.

Peter grabbed her arm and with his other hand he retrieved the phone and dialed back the last number called. The call went straight to voicemail.

"Who were you talking to?" Peter asked menacingly.

"I don't know."

Peter put more pressure on her arm, and when he repeated himself, his voice was full of hatred. "Who were you talking to?"

"I don't know, I swear I don't know!" She wailed through tears. "Three weeks ago, I found a note in my mailbox with some guy's phone number on it. When I called he asked me if I wanted to earn money. He told me I would be helping Neal... "

"What did you give him?" Peter asked, his eyes ablaze.

"I don't know."

"You gave a patient something, not knowing what it was?"

"I thought I was helping him, but now I'm sure that is what's been making him like this."

"Come with me." Peter pulled her into the hallway. "You're going to explain this to Christie."

"No, please; if I tell Dr. Adams, I'll lose my job!"

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about being arrested."

He walked Amanda to Neal's room, but he noticed that Sara was in there alone. She didn't need any more stress, so Peter decided to take Amanda to Christie's office.

Christie was startled when she saw Peter holding Amanda.

"Peter? What happened? "

"Why don't you tell her?" He sneered to Amanda. She reluctantly repeated the story that she'd told Peter.

"How many times did you give him that?" Christie asked furiously.

"Three times a day since he arrived."

"How could you?" She muttered, shaking her head. With tears in her eyes, Christie picked up her phone and called in two nurses. When the women arrived, she directed them, "Take Mr. Caffrey to do a checkup, I don't want to miss anything."

The nurses quickly left to take care of their task. "What do we do now, Peter?" Christie asked.

"I'm going to call Diana." He turned to Amanda, "Meanwhile, you'll stay right here." He handcuffed the girl to the chair she was sitting in and locked her in Christie's office.

Peter and Christie went to Neal's room and saw that the nurses were there, about to take him for tests. Sara stared at the scene without understanding.

"What's happening?" Sara asked.

"We're going to do some tests on him." Christie briefly explained.

"Why? What happened? "

"I've got this," Peter told Christie. The three women left, pushing the bed out of the room. Peter answered Sara, "Everything indicates that Neal was poisoned." He neglected to inform her about who'd done it and how long it had been going on.

"Oh, my God!" Once again Sara was crying.

Peter was surprised to see someone in the doorway a few moments later. He'd just hung up the phone, telling Diana to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Mozzie!" Peter exclaimed. In the past three weeks, they had all attempted to get ahold of Mozzie, but the conman was gone. Now he'd just waltzed into Neal's hospital room unannounced.

"Suit?" Mozzie looked scared, taking in an empty room and a tearful Sara. "Neal is..."

"He's still alive Mozzie!" Sara said. "But he's in a coma."

"Oh!" He seemed upset, "And where is he?"

"They just took him away for a checkup."

"I think I'll wait outside." Peter sensed that Mozzie wanted to get out since his presence wasn't necessary. Mozzie walked away, leaving Peter and Sara alone in the room.

Soon, Diana and Jones showed up, so Peter led them to Christie's office, briefly explaining the situation as they walked. The agents found the door half open. Entering the room, they realized it was empty.

"Amanda has disappeared." Peter stated angrily, "She ran away!"

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**Thanks for read. Sorry any law problems here. I don't know America laws for anything. I'll be waiting your review. :D**


	24. Chapter 24

**First thing: sorry for the delay. Like I promised I am posting that exactly when my beta sent me.**  
**Bonkers4reid, guess what: I still love you. ;)**

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Sara woke up to a pleasant aroma in the air. She had to shut her eyes when the morning light streaming in from the window bombarded her vision. She felt a light touch on her cheek and pressure from other lips on hers. She smiled and responded to the kiss with ease. She felt his lips move toward her neck. It tickled so she laughed, feeling his lips twisting into a smile.

"It smells good." She said, opening her eyes. "Pancakes?"

"As you like." Neal nodded. "To celebrate this special day."

Sara gave him with a quizzical look. "What special day?"

"You don't remember what today is?" He asked surprised, but with a bright smile.

"Well, of course I remember. Seven years ago I testified against you at your trial." She said with a mischievous smile.

"I would say that today marks us knowing each other seven years, but that works too." He replied.

"Oh no, I didn't know you seven years ago." Neal gave her a surprised look. "That day was only the first time I saw you. I didn't really get to know you until almost five years later." She elaborated with a smile.

"I believe you've made your point, Ms. Ellis." He said playfully, kissing her passionately and holding her face in his hands.

Sara returned the kiss. The intense kisses at the beginning of their relationship were nothing compared to the tenderness of this kiss. She was glad that she was still seated upon the bed, as Neal's magical kiss had left her legs wobbly.

"We made it." She whispered to him.

"Yes, we did." He responded with a different kind of smile.

"Never leave me." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Silly, I'm not going anywhere, where else would I go?" He asked, kissing her again and playing with her hair.

"I love it," she said with a smile, enjoying the feeling of his fingers tickling her scalp.

"Oh, yeah?" He joked before rising. "Come on."

She followed him into the kitchen and saw a table set for two. Neal offered her a glass of juice while drinking from his own cup. Sara couldn't help but think that this was the life she'd always dreamed of.

But then Neal seemed to choke. He coughed, struggling to draw air into his lungs. Sara ran to his side trying to help, but he collapsed to the ground before she could reach him.

"Neal. NEAL!" Sara screamed. "What's happening? Talk to me!" He stared back at her desperately as he tried and failed to properly inhale. "Neal, calm down, everything will be fine, just ... just try to breathe."

Before Sara knew what was happening, someone came up from behind her, separating her from Neal. She tried to fight him, but he was stronger than her. Neal was still struggling to breathe. The man who Sara thought to be a paramedic approached Neal. Thank God, Neal would have help.

But Sara was horrified to see that the man pulled a sheet over Neal. "Time of death ..."

"What are you doing? He's still alive. You have to help him!"

"There's nothing else we can do for him. He's gone." He spoke, but it made no sense to Sara. She could still see Neal thrashing and hear him struggling to breathe.

"No, listen!" Sara begged.

"You heard right, Sara, there is nothing more that can be done." Sara realized that the person holding her was Peter. Why would he say that? Could he not hear him like she did?

Sara struggled to escape Peter's grip. She wanted to try to help Neal, since no one else would, but Peter didn't release her until Neal's choking gasps and movements had subsided.

"No. NO!" Sara bent down to Neal, pulling the sheet off the motionless body. She shook him in an attempt to revive him, but quickly realized that her efforts were futile when she registered the deathly chill of his skin. She wept and held his head in her lap.

"No, no, no." She whimpered, shaking her head until she felt herself being pulled away from Neal again. She struggled and resisted, but the strong arms would not release her.

Sara felt a gentle touch on her arm and jolted awake with a start. When she took in her surroundings, the dreary hospital room that she'd spent an eternity of uncertainty within, she started to cry.

"Are you okay sweetie?" El looked worried. "Were you having a nightmare?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Sara muttered, looking around. Neal was back in the room. "How long I was asleep?"

"A few hours. Peter asked me to come here. He told me what happened. I'm really sorry."

"Did he find Amanda?" Sara asked.

"No. He's out there talking to Diana. Christie wants to speak privately with you and Peter." Sara's grave expression did not go unnoticed by the FBI agent's wife. "Don't worry, Neal will be in good hands," she promised, motioning to the door where Mozzie stood watching his friend. Sara smiled and got up to talk to the older man.

"You know you can get closer, don't you?" Mozzie gave a curt nod in reply. It was the first time he'd seen Neal in the hospital and Sara knew it was as difficult for him as it was for her. "Well, I'll see what Christie wants." She said leaving the room. Peeking over her shoulder, Sara watched Mozzie slowly enter Neal's hospital room.

When Sara arrived at Christie's office, Peter was already seated. He informed her that they hadn't located Amanda yet, but promised that they would do everything possible to find her. When Christie arrived her expression was unreadable. She closed the door and took her seat across from them.

"Sara, did Neal ever mention an expensive experimental medication to you?" Christie asked.

"Yes, he told me about it." Sara said.

"What is this medicine?" Peter asked blankly.

"Briefly speaking, it is a drug that might be Neal's only chance. Unfortunately, it is not sold legally because possible side effects make the medication potentially lethal. For some, the cancer is cured at the cost of severely damaging other organs, even killing the patient."

"But why are you bringing this up now?" Sara asked anxiously.

"Amanda was not poisoning Neal; she was giving him that medicine." Christie noted their reactions.

Peter was confused, not knowing what Christie's words meant. Sara's expression was a mix of relief and concern.

"And what does that mean?" Sara asked cautiously.

"Well, Neal's organs are failing, but the tumors have all been eradicated, except for one. But the large tumor left in his stomach has actually decreased dramatically in size."

"So you're saying he has to continue with this medicine?" Peter asked, trying to comprehend the bigger picture.

"No. Continuing with this medicine is out of the question." Sara's hopes died with Christie's statement. Sara thought he might at least have a slight chance, but if he did not take this medicine the cancer could spread again.

"So it's over?" Peter asked incredulously, "All of this for nothing?"

"No, Peter, it was most definitely worthwhile. We can attempt surgery now since there is only the one tumor in his stomach." Sara's hopes coursed again.

"But ...? I have a feeling there's a 'but' there." Peter persisted.

"But surgery is a risky option for Neal. He is weak and his heart may not be able to handle it... Which is why I'll need your authorization, Sara."

"If he doesn't have the surgery, he won't wake up?"

"No." Christie said simply.

"Then do what you have to do to save him." Sara replied. She didn't know whether to cry or smile at the idea of 'maybe.' She decided to smile, because a 'maybe' was more than she had had in a long time.

"We'll wait two days to do the surgery. He'll need a hemodialysis. I want him to have a break from the medication that Amanda gave him. Hopefully, this will make him stronger." Christie explained.

"Can he have a hemodialysis, the way he is?" Peter asked worriedly.

"Let's hope so. He's already survived one. We have to be confident that stopping that medication will work in our favor," Christie explained, walking around the table. She gently held Sara's arm, "For the first time, Neal has a real chance, even if it is a small one." With that, she left Peter and Sara alone again.

"I just want to know who bought the medicine and gave it to Amanda." Peter said.

Sara laughed out loud, "I'm sure I know the answer to that! My question is how he got the money."

"You think it was Mozzie?" Peter asked.

"I'm sure of it." Sara replied. "He was one of the few people who knew Neal was sick, and I wouldn't doubt that he'd known about the medicine. And really, do you think it's just a chance occurrence that he's shown up so soon after you caught on to Amanda's actions?"

"And Amanda's disappeared. Well, we have to talk to him." Peter said. "But where he is now?

"I know exactly where to find him," Sara said, and she led the way to Neal's room.

Mozzie stood by Neal's bedside. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. He was grasping Neal's hand and whispering encouragements to the younger man.

With the knowledge that Neal would have a chance, even if remote, Sara couldn't control herself. She entered the room and hugged Mozzie. The man was caught off guard, but returned the hug.

"Thank you. Thank you." Sara said, weeping with joy.

"For what?" Mozzie tried to seem unaware when he noticed Peter's gaze.

"No need to hide the truth, Mozzie." Peter warned him, "We know what you did. We just want to know how you pulled it off."

"Uh, do you really think I'll confess to a fed something I allegedly did?"

"That's the problem then? Of course that's the problem!" Peter answered his own question exasperatedly, taking the FBI badge from his pocket and setting it on the bedside table. He remembered the first time he'd done this and had to concentrate so as not to fall into a reverie about that night at Neal's apartment back when his friend was happy and healthy. "I offer full immunity. I just want to know how you did it all."

"Full immunity?" Mozzie asked.

"Yes. Nothing that you say here, that is relevant on the issue, will be taken to the Bureau."

"Okay. But you reported Amanda to the FBI? That's relevant!" Mozzie exclaimed.

"Yes Mozzie. I had already informed the Bureau, and they are looking for her."

"You can call off your search dogs; I took precautions. She's probably outside of the country, living under another name by now."

"Where did she go? What name did you give her?" Peter asked automatically, but he knew that the con man would never answer such questions truthfully. Mozzie just gave the Suit an incredulous look. "Okay, never mind. Where did you get money for the drug?"

"Well, I stole the treasure for that."

"But you didn't sell it."

"I couldn't; you had the submarine's manifest!" Peter shocked by that statement. He had forgotten about that. He also realized that Neal could have been treated sooner if he hadn't insisted on pursuing the treasure.

"So how did you do it?"

"You showed me the manifest. I just separated those paintings with other random pieces. You did not know every single painting that had been on the U-boat, then..."

"You got a copy?" Peter guessed aloud.

"No, I have a perfect memory, but that doesn't really matter." Mozzie said.

"So you've had it all planned." It wasn't a question.

"I spent the last three weeks selling what I could." Mozzie stated.

"Wait, wait." Sara interrupted. "You would confess. How could you do that?"

"Well, I guess I could only trust in one person to do that." Mozzie said, looking directly at Sara. "It was all worth it, right?"

"In two days I'll give you my answer." Sara replied, staring at the unconscious form lying between them. "In two days we all will know."

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**Well, like always I am here, begging your review, even knowing that I don't deserve. =';'=**


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